Thursday, August 31, 2017

Books 201-233 of 2017

 

Pictured: Five-Star Reads for August 2017

201. Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki ** (audiobook ARC from publisher; my review)
202. The Amputee's Guide to Sex by Jillian Weise ***** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
203. The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs **** (audiobook ARC from publisher; my review)
204. What Does Consent Really Mean? by Pete Wallis *** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
205. Silencer by Marcus Wicker **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
206. Creatures of the Night by Neil Gaiman **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
207. Cages by Dave McKean ***** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
208. Karma Khullar's Mustache by Kristi Wientge **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
209. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon ***** (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
210. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
211. The Madeleine Project by Clara Beaudoux **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
212. The Weight of Things by Marianne Fritz **** (personal copy; my review)
213. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen **** (personal audiobook copy; my review)
214. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
215. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa ***** (personal copy; my review)
216. Written in Dead Wax by Andrew Cartmel **** (#whodunitbymail bookswap; my review)
217. The Clancys of Queens by Tara Clancy **** (personal audiobook copy; my review)
218. Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
219. August by Romina Paula ***** (personal copy; my review)
220. Swallowing Mercury by Wioletta Greg **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
221. Ordinary Beast by Nicole Sealey **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
222. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward ***** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss and NetGalley; my review)
223. Eco-Dementia by Janet Kauffman **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
224. Body Music by Julie Maroh ***** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
225. History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund *** (library book; my review)
226. Portraits of Violence by Brad Evans **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
227. Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova **** (book swap; my review)
228. And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy by Adrian Shirk **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
229. Panicle by Gillian Sze **** (eARC from publisher through Edelweiss; my review)
230. Suite for Barbara Loden by Nathalie Leger ***** (personal copy; my review)
231. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion ***** (personal audiobook copy; my review)
232. Pieces of Happiness by Anne Ostby **** (eARC from publisher through NetGalley; my review)
233. Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang ** (eARC from publisher; my review)

Review: Pieces of Happiness: A Novel of Friendship, Hope and Chocolate

Pieces of Happiness: A Novel of Friendship, Hope and Chocolate Pieces of Happiness: A Novel of Friendship, Hope and Chocolate by Anne Ch. Ostby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a beachy read of five women from Norway who take their sixth friend up on her offer to join her on her cocoa plantation in Fiji following the death of her husband. Each woman has her own challenges and is looking for a change. It was nice to see women in a post-family role, focusing on self and letting loose a bit. The chapters change point of view between women but also alternate with the prayers of the woman working for Kat, ending with "Emeni." While there is some interaction with the local population, let's be honest, this is a white person novel. Fijians are the helpers, the guides, the people with the connection to the land. I picture a cast starring Helen Mirren, adding to the films of women of a certain age claiming their lives.

Still, the rotating POVs serve to provide a lot of depth into each woman's lives, and I found myself caring for each of them by the end of the novel. And it's hard to hate a novel about chocolate!

Thanks to the publisher for providing access through this title through NetGalley.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Reading Envy 094: House Arrest with Libby Young

This episode's guest is a librarian whose office is near mine, so we recorded at my desk in the library before the craziness of the semester hit. Please forgive our occasional thumps - my wooden desk picks up every bump.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 094: House Arrest with Libby Young

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I am starting to schedule guests for 2018! If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ


Books featured:



A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Autumn by Ali Smith
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs


Other mentions:

The Girl from the Metropol Hotel: Growing Up in Communist Russia by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya
The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea by Teffi
Pauline Boty 
Man Booker Prize Long List 2017
How to Be Both by Ali Smith 
NY Times article where J.D. Vance is the "representative voice" of conservative America
Scott McClanahan - Crapalachia; Hill William  
Mad Men (IMDB)
Hamilton (the musical) 
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Train to Pakistan by Khuswant Singh
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
My Temples, Too by Qurratulain Hyder
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley


Related Episodes:

Episode 008 - Gone Rogue with guests Steve Richardson, Libby Young, and Mike Winiski
Episode 046 - Books for Your Kitty Party (The Best of 2015) with Libby Young and many other guests
Episode 067 - Rain and Readability with Ruth(iella) 


Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Review: Ordinary Beast

Ordinary Beast Ordinary Beast by Nicole Sealey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I requested a review copy of this from Edelweiss before I saw it on NPR's Poetry to Pay Attention To in 2017 list, but they weren't wrong.

Nicole Sealy has the ability to embody the pain of others, and empathy and shared anger or sadness fill many of these poems. A great example is Virginia is for Lovers , about the "house in Virginia."

I also resonated with "a violence," about the lack of maternal drive among other things (read and listen on The New Yorker); and felt the emotions behind "hysterical strength," about how much strength people of color, specifically black people, must have just to exist.

From the wordplay perspective, I also really loved "and" with all the words that have "and" inside of them.

Thanks to the publisher through Edelweiss. This comes out in September!

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Review: And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Stories from the Byways of American Women and Religion

And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Stories from the Byways of American Women and Religion And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Stories from the Byways of American Women and Religion by Adrian Shirk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't realize, at first, that this book would combine memoir with the stories of female religious leaders. For me, despite my love of the braided essay and so on, I am not sure the combination always works. It's true that the author writes about the female characters she has encountered at various points of her life, but her own story has more to do with dealing with mental illness in her family. It doesn't have as many connections to the religion stories as I would have liked.

That said, I enjoyed the religious sections very much. There are a few people in here you would expect to see - Aimee Semple McPherson, Sojourner Truth, etc., but several more I had never heard of and really enjoyed reading about. She extends outside the standard religions to include new-age practices, spiritualism, and mass market paperback astrologers. I really liked the inclusion of Eliza R. Snow and how her work for women in the early Mormon church, and how that connects to contemporary movements doing the same.

Adrian Shirk is very respectful of these characters, acknowledging their imperfections but letting those get in the way of recognizing their influence. So often a misstep or a rumor (or even a true story, ha) has served to dismiss these womens' contributions, and I liked her approach.

This would fit nicely on a shelf next to books on feminist theology, and I have quite a few that would hold it in good company.

I received a copy of this early from the publisher through Edelweiss, although by the time I finished it the book came out, on August 22.

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Saturday, August 26, 2017

Review: Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished this novel a week ago and haven't been able to write about it. It is so good, I just don't know how to do it justice. If I list the ingredients of the novel for you, the characters and events, it wouldn't start to explain how it feels to read it. I'll do my best.

I haven't read Jesmyn Ward before now. I am hyper aware of her, because her 2011 novel, Salvage the Bones, won the National Book Award. Still I didn't read it. I think I had it in my head that it was violent and gritty and like the same way I avoided Steinbeck for the same reasons, I was missing out. And the way this novel starts made me think first of Steinbeck, rather than Faulkner and Morrison who most people mention, probably because I've read a lot more of him lately. But there is a scene with a goat between Pop and Jojo, who we later discover are grandfather and grandson.

The novel is set in rural Mississippi, in poverty, and a situation where the grandparents have been the primary caretakers of their grandchildren. Their daughter (Leonie) is not a good mother for various reasons, and the (white) father is currently in jail, but since his family did not approve of his involvement with Leonie anyway, he was not a strong presence for the children. But now, Mam has cancer, and Pop has to shift his focus to her care.

There is more going on that is unveiled as the story progresses. Mam has the knowledge of the old country, herbal remedies, midwifery, and the ability to speak to the dead. She thinks her children should learn these things and has tried to teach Leonie. There is another connection between Leonie's brother and her baby-daddy's family.

All of this is going on and the author shifts between characters, bringing the reader into each person's experience and focus, and this is incredibly effective. The elements of the fantastical fit into the gritty, real environment in ways I would not have expected. Highly, highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher for providing early access through NetGalley and Edelweiss (I accidentally requested it twice.) The book comes out 5 September 2017.

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Review: History of Wolves

History of Wolves History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this because it was on the Man Booker Prize Long List. I loved the title, the cover (peek inside the dust jacket), but that's where the love stopped.

At first glance, it was hard to stop comparing this book to Marlena by Julie Buntin, a book I read this summer. Both have girls in mid-teens as protagonists, in the woods of a rural northern state that starts with an Mi-, trying to navigate difficult situations with parents that are less than present. Comparing the two, I found Marlena to be better written, more cohesive, and more believable/realistic.

This novel starts by introducing Madeleine, who lives in the woods where a cult compound used to be. The only people left are her parents, at least two adults who are acting as her parents. Across the lake a woman and her child move in and she befriends them and becomes a sort of nanny to the 4-year-old. There is also a storyline going on about a teacher at Madeleine's school who is fired for inappropriate sexual conduct.

First let's take the school storyline. It was puzzling what place this had in the novel. She has one interaction with the teacher that explains the title, but it almost felt like the author was so attached to the title she was forcing this story in there. In the end, I don't think it belongs. The other student, Lily, who is stigmatized based on a rumor about her involvement with the same teacher, is an interesting story but shows up at strange moments. And Madeleine acts strangely towards Lily, in ways that are inconsistent with her character otherwise. There are moments where she seems to be threatening her, almost like a sociopath, but I have no idea where that came from. It seemed like a different novel.

It's also hard for me to think of the main character as Madeleine, because she introduces herself to the family across the lake as Linda, and most of the time when she is addressed, it is by this name.

Gradually a new topic of Christian Scientist and their beliefs against modern medicine starts to pop up. This was interesting but not as developed as it could be. It was like the author wanted to write it with suspense it didn't need, so the ideas are sprinkled in in such a way that even Linda has no idea what is going on. Having both the cult background plus the CS thread seeemed like overkill; the cult ultimately has no major role in the novel.

I was left unsatisfied. I would be shocked if it makes the Booker shortlist, but I've been wrong before. 2.5 stars.

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Monday, August 21, 2017

Review: Swallowing Mercury

Swallowing Mercury Swallowing Mercury by Wioletta Greg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book of short stories that seem more like vignettes of a rural Polish childhood during the Communist years. The political details are in the background but place Wioletta well. There are some attempts to weave in fables and myths but they were subtle enough that they did not get in the way of a good story. The cultural details were incredibly vivid, from paprikash spread to the flowers falling from the fabric.

I first knew about this collection when it was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. While it didn't make the shortlist, I was happy to find a copy during Women in Translation Month (August 2017.)

I also enjoyed Kamil's review on YouTube because he read the stories both in the original Polish and then in English, and I learned a lot from his comments.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy through Edelweiss.

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Review: Reservoir 13

Reservoir 13 Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am SO TORN about this book. I've been thinking about it for days. I think part of my issue is that how it is being sold to the reader - the disappearance of a girl, the fallout - is not really what the book is. It is true that there is a disappearance but it's a much slower book - about the town, the nature in the town, the seasons, all the little people and all their little lives, the cycles they go through, the long reaching effects of all of the tragedies, the girl included - the way secrets last and others don't, who never leaves and who never stays, who is trusted and who can't be.... all these tiny things beautifully written and forming the quilt of this place.

Except I think I'm supposed to find out what happens to this girl, so as a reader I kept changing how I read. If I read in a slow way with appreciation of the details, it is lovely and effective. If I look for answers I am left wanting. What am I supposed to want and how am I supposed to feel? Sometimes it was excruciating to circle back around, while I found myself appreciating the journey at the same time.

I suspect the book will jump from Man Book long list to shortlist because the judges will like this juxtaposition. For me I'm still not convinced both work in the same book, but I still can't sort it all out. This is decidedly not the read for someone looking for a thrill.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with early access through Edelweiss.

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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Reading Envy 093: Spewing Science

Jeff Koeppen returns and brings two science books! Have we ever had science books on Reading Envy before? Perhaps not, and it was time. We also talk about other things. But also science.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 093: Spewing Science.

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Listen via Stitcher

I am starting to schedule guests for 2018! If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ


Books featured:



Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Midnight Riot (Peter Grant #1) by Ben Aaronovitch
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work (A StoryCorps Book) by Dave Isay
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
In the Time of the Blue Ball by Manuela Draeger

Other mentions:

Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End by Philip Plait
Carrington Event (Wikipedia entry)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Excerpt of Rivers of London aka Midnight Riot audiobook
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling
The Stand by Stephen King
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison
StoryCorps app
The View from a Drawbridge (blog) 
Face on Mars (NASA article)
Richard Hoagland - The Other Side of Midnight website
A Candle in the Dark by Thomas Ady
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach



Related Episodes:

Episode 042 - It Begins with Rain with Jason Roland
Episode 071 - Bad Priest, Good Priest, No Priest with Scott
Episode 090 - Reading Envy Readalong: East of Eden with Ellie and Jeff


Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Jeff at Goodreads
Jeff on Twitter
Jeff is @jeffkoeppen on Litsy

Friday, August 11, 2017

Review: Home Fire

Home Fire Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went looking for a review copy of this when it was included on the Man Booker Prize Long list, and was approved for one by the publisher through Edelweiss.

This is a book that kept morphing as I read it and discussed it, and it ended up in a place far removed from my expectations at the beginning. Nowhere in the publisher summary or promotional material does it mention that the author is also basing this novel on the myth of Antigone, but she has, and that proves important in understanding some of her choices.

The author is from Pakistan, and the characters have some loose ties to Pakistan and end up there during some of the events, but it is more important inside the novel that the three central characters (siblings) are all children of a jihadi who was killed during or because of his military action. The characters themselves aren't certain, just know that he's gone, so I won't give that detail away. It's important to also understand that as a jihadi, he is working toward the magical homeland idea, and to that end has voluntarily fought in Afghanistan, Syria, Chechnya, and beyond. And the people he was involved with have done the same. Between that fact and the fact that the siblings are split between the USA and the UK, and the placeness of the novel feels very unstable.

More instability in the novel comes from the shifting viewpoints and genres. The novel starts with Isma, the oldest sister as she moves to Amherst for school, including a long drawn out inquisition at the airport that makes her miss her flight. She meets Eamonn, son of a powerful politician in the UK, but his family is also close to her family in country and religion of origin, even if they don't seem to claim it anymore. At this point the novel feels like it is headed one specific direction, but there is a major shift to a romance novel for a while, and then it turns into a jihadist recruitment novel, and then a story about the placelessness of people labeled terrorists. Too much time, perhaps, is spent on what to do with a dead body without a country (this is a place where the author is trying to hard, in my opinion, to shoehorn the novel into the myth, when it is not needed, she has enough of a story without that.)

As you can tell from my attempt to summarize, there is a lot going on in this novel. But I also found myself thinking far more deeply about the context. How far reaching are the wounds of Partition, which is where this family first lost their footing? How has that impacted the longterm inclination towards jihad? How do the way their family is treated in the USA and the UK effect how one member can only find home and family with a group of soldiers who knew his father? And outside this story, how is our current political situation worsening these kinds of narratives, pushing people into outsider status and otherness, without home, without firm footing? I think that's the thread that is between the lines, and to me, the most powerful part. I was waffling between three and four stars but I think my own thinking as a result of the novel pushes it to four.

I do think there are misses here, though. The mythological connection weakens the story, especially the ending. Without saying what the ending is, I think it's a cop out to have a single climactic moment rather than following characters as they deal with the real-world, complex complications of the decisions that people have made. That's a movie move, not a novel move. There are missed opportunities between characters, conversations and interactions I expected them to have but are instead skipped, glossed over, or deemed not important. Isma and Aneeka should have had a huge fight about one plot element, and I felt like the connection between Isma and Eamonn's father had a lot of potential and it just dissipates.

I would like to read more by this author, although I personally don't feel this is strong enough to make the Booker shortlist. Too many dropped plot points, a lack of realism at crucial moments, and the unevenness in genre and story arcs. I did appreciate the deep thinking it inspired, and it ended up having enough in it to count as one of the reads for my Borders 2017 challenge.

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