I got back into reading at the end of 2021 and it has been really fun. Once again, books are a big part of my life. Historical fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, etc., etc. Interested in politics, feminism, climate change, TV, movies, birding, biking, music, forest preserves, art museums, travel. UC Davis law grad, now in Chicago suburbs.
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OK, wow (4.5 stars). This was very good, but it was unsettling from the start, pushing my anxiety buttons in an impressive way. I saw the mostly rave reviews on Bookmarks but didn't read any of them, so I went into the book not knowing much about it and maybe that added to the suspense. Thoughtful and quirky, with some interesting observations about parenting, technology, consumerism, etc.
Well-written and exciting, with a good sense of humor. I enjoyed the magical archipelago setting. It has a familiar fantasy story arc - i.e., a young "chosen" protagonist goes on a quest to fight against evil with the help of some friends and protectors (to some extent, it reminded me of both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) - but it's inventive enough to stand out in its own right. I wouldn't mind having one of those flying coats. My favorite part was the scene where they meet the jaculus dragon. I definitely saw parallels to our climate change reality, e.g. government dragging its feet in the face of catastrophic changes in the sea, so I appreciated that.
Excellent writing, of course, plus biting humor and a fun story (it's especially enjoyable having Jason Isaacs narrate the audiobook). There are so many great touches beyond the art theft/murder mystery plot itself, like the women's voices that Jackson has internalized; when that "Court of Women" cocked its collective eyebrow at one of his questionable notions, causing him to pause and reframe his thinking, I laughed out loud. I was very fond of some of the other characters, too, including Ben (Kindness to others, his greatest failing in his own eyes, forced him to put on a brave face) and also Simon the vicar, who is made fun of (paddling in the intellectual shallows) but also portrayed quite sympathetically - I really enjoyed his memory of trying to go on a pilgrimage and ending up with a group of Texas students who knew the Scriptures better than he …
Excellent writing, of course, plus biting humor and a fun story (it's especially enjoyable having Jason Isaacs narrate the audiobook). There are so many great touches beyond the art theft/murder mystery plot itself, like the women's voices that Jackson has internalized; when that "Court of Women" cocked its collective eyebrow at one of his questionable notions, causing him to pause and reframe his thinking, I laughed out loud. I was very fond of some of the other characters, too, including Ben (Kindness to others, his greatest failing in his own eyes, forced him to put on a brave face) and also Simon the vicar, who is made fun of (paddling in the intellectual shallows) but also portrayed quite sympathetically - I really enjoyed his memory of trying to go on a pilgrimage and ending up with a group of Texas students who knew the Scriptures better than he did (don't miss Jason Isaacs doing the Texas accent!).
A new novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective …
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller (although it's not the "action-packed" type) set in rural France and focused on a commune known as Le Moulin. The espionage plot provides a framework for the cold-hearted protagonist (assumed name: Sadie Smith) and certain others (primarily Bruno Lacombe, via his intercepted emails to the Moulinards) to make proclamations and observations about various aspects of life, such as art, political activism, self-identity, oppression, Neanderthals, and the night sky.
There are many indelible scenes and stories within the story - e.g., Bruno's memory of playing with other boys and taking the helmet of a dead Nazi soldier they came across; Sadie observing the sexist division of labor in the commune; the history of the Cagot; Bruno hearing voices in his cave; and a seafaring tale about an 18th-century Polynesian.
Here's just one of many passages that made an impression on me: "When you look at stars, …
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller (although it's not the "action-packed" type) set in rural France and focused on a commune known as Le Moulin. The espionage plot provides a framework for the cold-hearted protagonist (assumed name: Sadie Smith) and certain others (primarily Bruno Lacombe, via his intercepted emails to the Moulinards) to make proclamations and observations about various aspects of life, such as art, political activism, self-identity, oppression, Neanderthals, and the night sky.
There are many indelible scenes and stories within the story - e.g., Bruno's memory of playing with other boys and taking the helmet of a dead Nazi soldier they came across; Sadie observing the sexist division of labor in the commune; the history of the Cagot; Bruno hearing voices in his cave; and a seafaring tale about an 18th-century Polynesian.
Here's just one of many passages that made an impression on me: "When you look at stars, Bruno said, you merge into the flow of time, the right-now and the before and the to-come." Actually, I thought some of the writing about the stars connected well to Samantha Harvey's Orbital, which I read recently.
Usually I try to avoid audiobooks narrated by the author, but I'm glad I listened to this one. Kushner's straightforward delivery works perfectly with the book's dry humor.
"For native Brooklynite Roz Chast, adjusting to life in the suburbs (where people own trees!?) …
Funny and helpful for planning a visit to New York, especially Manhattan.
Mandel's writing is excellent and unpretentious, as usual. It's a great story with thriller elements and characters who find themselves falling into desperate situations. There are lots of keen observations about people's relationships, hopes, disappointments, foibles, and sense of morality. Despite the seriousness of the topics touched on (housing crisis, habitat encroachment, crime, etc.), there's a low-key sense of humor, at least in the first half of the book, like when Gavin is troubled by the abbreviation/acronym on his sister's business card, feeling that there's a letter missing (another example: when he visits his mother and then considers climbing out the bathroom window to avoid further conversation). I also really enjoyed the focus on music.
A solid, well-written mystery with a great protagonist (the extremely analytical Mia). It grabbed me right away. There were a few holes in the plot early on, but those didn't bother or distract me too much. Also, the happiness quotient concept is interesting, but after a while I felt like it was being a bit overexplained. Overall, though, I enjoyed it a lot, and I thought the audiobook narration by Shannon Tyo was very good.
This little book pretty much blew me away, with its poetic and beautifully-written ruminations on life, space, and the Earth, featuring six astronauts/cosmonauts on the space station. There were many sections that changed or expanded my perspective on things. It definitely called to mind the Pale Blue Dot. It's not flawless - for example, there were a few times when it felt perhaps a bit too sentimental, and I'm not sure why it referred to "mankind" rather than "humankind" through most of the novel (also, an early description of the Japanese astronaut as being "not-quite definable" veered a little too close to the "inscrutable" trope, I thought). Overall, though, it was extremely well done.
It's a very well-written book with a fascinating focus on falling. It is not light-hearted, despite the fact that Buster Keaton is heavily featured. The obsession with Keaton is woven throughout the story, as the self-destructive narrator navigates her fraught relationships with her twin brother and her mother, as well as the family's superstitions about a falling curse supposedly caused by the actions of an ancestor in Prague. There are many interesting scenes set in Prague, where the narrator and her brother move for a while in an attempt to sort things out.
This was delightful, and Ethan Hawke's audiobook narration had me laughing out loud through the whole book, which is largely about friends supporting each other. It touched on so many things, like the wonder of art, the joy of adventure, and the great variety of personalities that you will meet in life.
She has always been the kind who can love but not stay. Taking only her …
Beautifully written and very moving. Among other things, it's a psychological thriller and an adventure story (i.e., following some of the remaining Arctic terns on their migration to Antarctica). Despite the book's restless, haunted narrator and its focus on mass extinction, it did not leave me feeling bleak. It raises important questions about what humans owe to the creatures with whom we share the planet, and those concerns are presented in an energizing way.
There are a lot of memorable, thought-provoking passages. For example, this one really jumped out at me: "I think of the impact of a life like that. It sounds quiet, and so small as to be invisible. ... But I know better than that. A life's impact can be measured by what it gives and what it leaves behind, but it can also be measured by what it steals from the world."
I thoroughly enjoyed it. …
Beautifully written and very moving. Among other things, it's a psychological thriller and an adventure story (i.e., following some of the remaining Arctic terns on their migration to Antarctica). Despite the book's restless, haunted narrator and its focus on mass extinction, it did not leave me feeling bleak. It raises important questions about what humans owe to the creatures with whom we share the planet, and those concerns are presented in an energizing way.
There are a lot of memorable, thought-provoking passages. For example, this one really jumped out at me: "I think of the impact of a life like that. It sounds quiet, and so small as to be invisible. ... But I know better than that. A life's impact can be measured by what it gives and what it leaves behind, but it can also be measured by what it steals from the world."
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did about 50-50 reading and listening to the audiobook, and the narration by Barrie Kreinik was great.
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and …
I enjoyed this and thought it was an inventive story. Apparently, some readers didn't like the writing, but I thought it was fine (OK, there were a lot of similes; I noticed that, but it didn't bother me). I guess I would describe it as mostly a romance, with sci fi, historical and thriller elements. Some of the romance stuff didn't completely work for me (e.g., an expat gets to the point where he's regularly using a motorbike, a cell phone and a laptop, and yet somehow he still has Victorian ideas about courting). However, the sci fi/thriller aspects kicked into higher gear in a pretty satisfying way toward the end. I liked the tie-in with the Franklin expedition and was glad to see AMC's The Terror thanked in the acknowledgments.
At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or …
Good thriller. A little more violent than I usually prefer, but it's well-written and exciting. It has lots of interesting thoughts about language, meaning, persuasion/manipulation, and what makes people tick.
I guess I didn't connect very well with this collection overall, but I did enjoy a few of them - in particular, some that revealed a quirky perspective on animals and/or showed the poet poking fun at himself. My favorite was Life Expectancy.
Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in the forested mountains …
I've never read anything before that was focused on Colombia, so that aspect of the book was very interesting to me (i.e., the culture, legends, and geography of that country). It's a moving story about a family torn between Colombia and the United States, with gut-wrenching choices (e.g., do you send your baby back to relatives in Colombia so you are more able to work in the U.S.?) and insights that challenge certain beliefs (e.g., is Colombia really so much worse, when the U.S. has its own serious problems like worker/immigrant exploitation and school shootings?). There were some things that didn't make sense to me, like a reference early in the book to "the illusion that women are safer among women." Also, if I were a teenage girl on the run and looking for someone to help me and give me a ride, I'm not sure my first choice would …
I've never read anything before that was focused on Colombia, so that aspect of the book was very interesting to me (i.e., the culture, legends, and geography of that country). It's a moving story about a family torn between Colombia and the United States, with gut-wrenching choices (e.g., do you send your baby back to relatives in Colombia so you are more able to work in the U.S.?) and insights that challenge certain beliefs (e.g., is Colombia really so much worse, when the U.S. has its own serious problems like worker/immigrant exploitation and school shootings?). There were some things that didn't make sense to me, like a reference early in the book to "the illusion that women are safer among women." Also, if I were a teenage girl on the run and looking for someone to help me and give me a ride, I'm not sure my first choice would be to seek out a lone man around my father's age. But, anyway, overall I enjoyed the story quite a bit. It was a nice touch when some of the later chapters switched to narration by Talia's brother and sister in the U.S.