Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow / A / **** / Hard CopyI spent most of my month reading this book. It took me FOREVER for some reason. I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as I did the book on George Washington by the same author. That being said, I was in total awe of the man himself. He had vision, passion, and an amazing work ethic. He not only had good ideas but was able to influence public opinion in order to make these dreams a reality. The sheer number of pages that this man wrote in his lifetime is quite unbelievable. It was remarkable to learn of his legacy and see how it has affected our lives as Americans more than 200 years later. This book just reaffirmed my belief that God had his hand in the creation of this country. Good job, Hamilton. You are so awesome someone should make a musical about you... with rap music....
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner / YA / **** / KindleI like this one. It is a YA story about a thief secretly released from prison in order to help the government gain access to an ancient treasure. The thief, Gen, is a total punk with tons of delightful attitude and witty one-liners. The story was a little slow moving, but it did have a great plot twist I totally did not see coming.
The Hypnotist's Love Story: A novel by Liane Moriarty / A / ***1/2 / KindleI think Moriarty may be the best character author EVER. It wasn't my favorite of this author but Moriarty's books are ALWAYS entertaining. It had a really good premise that would have made this a real thriller in line with "The Husband's Secret" but Moriarty surprisingly didn't go down that road. It was a good solid read that I enjoyed.
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton / YA / *** / KindleThis book had a LOT of similar elements to "Blood Red Road" that I also recently read. It had a great start with the main character, Amani, entering a shooting contest disguised as a boy in order to try and earn money to get out of town before she is forced into an unwanted marriage by her Uncle. The rest of the story tells about her journey. This is where it got kinda convoluted. It was this weird mix of wild west and Arabic folklore while also being kinda sorta a fantasy book. It had a steam-punky background and a rebellion thrown in. It was just a lot of stuff.....
MARCH:
Small, Great Things by Jodi Picoult / A / **** / KindleAn African American labor and delivery nurse, Ruth Jefferson is on trial for the murder of a newborn baby she tries to save after she was told she could not care for the baby at the request of the white supremacist parents.
This book tells the story from the point of view of Ruth, the father of the baby, and Ruth's lawyer.
This book was a page turner. I was a little hesitant that Jodi Picoult (white) could appropriately show what racism looks like, but I admire her willingness to not shy away from difficult topics.
This book is very compelling and very, very relevant. The characters were very real and very layered.
Even though I didn't love the ending, this is one of the best I've read by Picoult. I couldn't put it down.
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm / JF / *** / KindleThis was a cute coming of age story of a young girl sent to live with relatives for the summer. It had a "Year Down Yonder" feel to it. It was fun for me as the book took place in Key West, and I could picture some of the locations. It had the right mix of adventure, humor, and heart.
Now That You're Here by Amy Nichols / YA / *** / KindleDanny is somehow jolted into a parallel universe. He must band with the uncool nerd squad to figure out how to get home. The problem is, maybe he now wants to stay.
This one wasn't too bad. I liked how the nerds were the heroes of the story in all their weirdness.
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson / JF / ***** / KindleOh Mrs. Woodson. Your books just make my heart so happy. This was another great one. I loved the style, the characters, the arc of the story. Thanks for being amazing.
APRIL:
Moby Dick by Herman Melville/ A / **** / AudioThis is another classic that I avoided due to length and then ended up really enjoying. I listened to all 30 hours of this book as I drove back and forth to Panguitch (3 hrs per day, 4 days per week). It still amazes me that it took 14 hours before they killed a dang whale .....
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman/ A / **** / AudioThis is a true story about the Zabinski family - zookeepers of the Warsaw zoo during German occupation during WWII. Though it was advertised as a book about how they helped over 300 people escape from the Nazi's, it was much more than that. It was an interesting look at life during wartime. I think some readers may not enjoy all the detail the author provides or the tangents she goes off on occasionally, but I enjoyed it. The narrator for this audio book was really excellent. As I was finishing the book I found out that it is being released as a movie.
MAY:
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee / JF / ***1/2 / KindleA cute story set in Victorian England about a prim, proper, and privileged young girl named Annabel sent to live with her eccentric Aunts while her mother travels abroad. The Aunts are really witches... and of course Annabel turns out to be one, too. The magical world is in mortal danger, and the instruction book for witches indicates the only person that can save them is "A Most Magical Girl".... our heroine Annabel. The rest of the book tells of her adventures to retrieve the "good" wand. This book had a cute story line and some fun characters.
Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks by Mark Woods / A / ***** / KindleFavorite quote: "We save rivers and canyons and mountains, and they save us".
This may be my favorite book of the year. The premise of the book is that the author, in commemoration of the first 100 years of the National Park Service, went on a year long quest to explore the future of the parks. This book was part travelogue, part informative essay, part memoir, part tribute. It was surprisingly poignant at times. It made me want to be outside. It made me more aware of the obstacles being faced by the park system. And it made me hopeful that all those weekends spent dragging the kids to the National Parks will mean something to them, someday.
Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty / A / ***1/2 / KindleThis book is yet another example of Moriarty's ability to write real but quirky characters. This book tells the story of three couples and their thoughts/feelings/actions leading up to and after a horrific event. The author doesn't immediately tell exactly what happened that eventful day... leaving you guessing for much of the novel. This would be a fun beach read.
The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel by Erika Johansen / YA / ** / KindlePrincess Kelsea has been hidden away from the enemies of her kingdom until she reaches the age to ascend the throne. This book tells the adventure of her travels to reach her kingdom as well as the struggles to clean up the mess left behind. The story line was excellent, but I did soooo many problems with this book. I liked it and I didn't like it at the same time.
Characters:
Some of the characters were great. Some were sadly lacking, including the main character. She is weirdly written. She is kind. She wants to do right. She is totally shallow. She is constantly checking out the men in the book (regardless of age and circumstance) and deciding if they would be worth her time. She is worried about her weight. She has lousy judgement. Her Uncle, the regent, was made out to be a buffoon-type character. This didn't make sense... he needed to be more smart and evil.
Kingdom building:
Another problem I had was that the book was set in medieval times (they wore dresses and rode horses and had swords) but then the book kept talking about America and Europe and the British and the crossing from the old world to the new. Crossing from WHERE? Is this even still EARTH? What the heck is going on here? It is like this book doesn't know where to be. It is post-apocalyptic but you don't know how they got this way. As one reviewer said: :"Now people can’t even build a printing-press anymore… however they can do cosmetic surgery and organ-transplants. I was tempted to start a drinking-game for such world-building inconsistencies but my liver is not that strong."
Odd Pacing:
"We didn't send the tribute to the Red Queen. She is going to kill us in three days. In that time I am going to have a dress made and build a library for poor people and make friends with the servants because I am a such a good, kind queen." I don't know about you, but I would rather have my leader maybe mobilize some troops and gather in some food supplies for a siege, ya know?
Religion bashing:
The author made it a very clear point that organized religion is of the devil. I am fine with an atheist character. But it felt like an anti-religion lecture. Toooo much already, okay?
Weird obscenities:
The worst part was that there were these weirdly random sexual scenes or expletives thrown in. I actually don't have a problem with these things in books if they support the story. But these were just STRANGE and honestly kinda squeechy. It was like the author decided she needed some shock factor and just threw in some stuff. IT WAS WEIRD.
All this being said, I plan to read the second one. WHY??? I DO NOT KNOW. I CAN NOT EXPLAIN IT. I read online that Emma Watson is going to make this movie. All I can say is WHAT??? I need a nap.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah Maas / YA but should be A / *** / Hard CoverThis is the third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series.
This series started out as a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast but then morphed into something else. This book neatly wraps everything up, and while I appreciate the author wanting to wrap up loose ends I don't appreciate the levels she went to in order to give everyone a happy ending. It got a little ridiculous.
A warning with all three: they are completely inappropriate for teens (the intended audience). I came across the first book (A Court of Thorns and Roses) because Elissa had checked it out from the school library. I read it first and promptly told her it wasn't something she could read unless I edited out a few parts here and there. I've said over and over again I don't mind sex in books, but I guess I should say I don't mind traditional love scenes. But this was toooo much. The second and third book were even worse. I had forgotten just how graphic they were. The sad thing was that it was totally unnecessary. It was bad enough I warned the Librarian at our local library.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas / YA but should be A / ***1/2 / Hard CopyWhen I was reading book three I could not remember some of the plot lines, so I quickly reread the first book.
Runaway Jury by John Grisham / A / ***** / Hard copyEmily was reading this, so I gave it a re-read. This is one of my favorite Grisham books.
Saga of Shahrzad and Kahalid 1: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh / YA / *** / Hard CopyThis is a retelling ( I think) of Arabian nights. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad, either.
