Freedom Soup - early reviewer, picture book - This picture book is about passing cultural traditions down from one generation to another. Belle's Haitian grandmother, Ti Gran, teaches Belle to make Freedom Soup for New Year's, and about the history of the soup and the Haitian Revolution. Author Tami Charles learned to make the soup from her husband's Haitian grandmother, and she provides a simplified version of the recipe at the end of the book. The vibrant illustrations by Jacqueline Alcántara were done in pencil, marker, and gouache, and assembled digitally.
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell, is historical fiction set in Italy during World War II. It's about Italian Catholics and Jews who were part of the Italian Resistance and who hid Jews both from Italy and elsewhere. A list of characters at the front of the book includes 45 people (one of which goes by four names in the book), which was too many characters for me to track. I had purchased my copy at a used book sale, and the previous reader had torn out this list of characters and used it as a bookmark - I can understand why. It probably didn't help that I read most of this book right around the time my mother died - I was pretty tired and distracted. While I learned a lot from this book, reading about so many deaths was depressing, and I'm not sure I would read it again.
Lux by Elizabeth Cook - weird early reviewer advance reader edition. I was somewhat disappointed by this book. It started out promising - a retelling of much of the Biblical books of Samuel (from about 1 Samuel 4:15 through about 2 Samuel 17:20), including the stories of Israel's loss of the Ark of the Covenant and its eventual return (one I hadn't remembered), and of David killing Goliath, becoming king, and his lust for Bathsheba and his arrangement for the death of her husband Uriah in battle. I'm no Biblical scholar, but I enjoyed pulling out my old study Bible and reviewing these. The book includes multiple third-person viewpoints in this section (including Uriah and the prophet Nathan), and the parts of the story told from Bathsheba's perspective were particularly good.
That was the first 161 pages. The next 100 or so were a letdown - David's seven-day fast in isolation to try to save the life of his illicit son with Bathsheba, and all his thoughts during that time, some expressed in psalms. Author Elizabeth Cook may be a poet, but I found this section tedious and boring.
To me, the only real connections between the first two thirds of the book and the last third - which is set in King Henry VIII's time and focuses on poet Thomas Wyatt - are the set of tapestries Henry acquires that tell the story of David and Bathsheba, and the fact that Wyatt translated psalms supposedly written by David during his repentence.
In an article called "A Blaze of Light," Cook said, "I had long known that I wanted to write about the 16th-century poet, Thomas Wyatt...This novel began with one word, the title, Lux. I wrote it, in capitals, at the start of a new notebook late in December 2000. It was the name of Wyatt’s beloved falcon and plays on the Latin for 'light' and also on the 'luck' which Wyatt only occasionally experienced in the course of a turbulent life." Given this, I was surprised so little of the book (132 pages out of 403) was about Wyatt. I learned a lot about the poet, but for me, the book ended abruptly.
In an article called "On Taking Time," Cook said it took 17 years for her to write this book. Perhaps I lack the patience she has.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Saturday, November 30, 2019
948-954 (2019 #75-81) November 2019
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood, is historical fiction based on a real murder case, that of wealthy Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper (and mistress) Nancy Montgomery in Ontario, Canada. The accused were other household servants, James McDermott and Grace Marks. This was fun to read around Halloween - I read the hypnotism scene (near the end of the book) that night, and finished the book on All Souls Day.
Playlist: The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound by James Rhodes - early reviewers, young adult, nonfiction - is an introduction to classical music appropriate for those of middle school and high school age. As one who could be a grandmother to such readers, and not a music aficianado, I'm not the intended audience for this book - yet I learned a lot from it. I am approaching this review from the point of view of a librarian tasked with providing books for K-12 students or music teachers.
The book itself is eye-catching. It is approximately the size and shape of old 33 rpm vinyl records, with a rather plain black cover (further evoking that comparison), but a psychedelic dust jacket by Martin O'Neill, furthering the revolutionaries/rebels/rock stars theme. O'Neill's illustrations throughout the book use collage with ephemera and mixed media, photographs, silk screen, and digital media.
Inside, after an introduction and a page about the playlist (more on that in a bit), Rhodes, a professional pianist, has selected seven composers to write about, as well as two compositions by each. Each composer has eight pages alloted to him - a double-page illustrated spread with the composer's surname and a nickname Rhodes gives him (I especially liked Ravel: Shock and Awe), followed by biographical information on the next spread, including some contemporary artists and soundtracks that have used his work (I do agree with other reviewers that some of these could become dated with time).
This is followed by double-page spreads on each of the compositions, including notes on what to listen for (although sometimes the times given are a bit off) and Rhodes' interpretations of the music. Interspersed between the composers are spreads on the orchestra and a timeline of Western classical music, and the book ends with a glossary of musical terms used within the book (the terms were printed in boldface in the text) and an index. I would have liked to see at least a short bibliography as well, to know the sources of some of Rhodes' information.
Not being a musical expert, I won't quibble with the selections by Rhodes, which naturally favor piano. Of course he includes the big three of classical music, Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. I agree with another reviewer that an aria from one of Mozart's operas (since he is famous for those) would have been a better choice than an overture, and I would have liked to see a harpsichord piece for Bach (I am a fan of those).
Now, for the playlist: it's available on Spotify. As another reviewer noted, this makes it unavailable to readers under age 13 (seventh grade for most students), without either an illegal registration, or the aid of an adult. I don't have a Spotify account, and don't want to register for yet another site I won't use, so (again, like another reviewer - thanks for the suggestion!) I found eleven of the selections specified by Rhodes on YouTube, and one on Earsense (the Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major by Schubert). I also couldn't find the specific version of Rachmaninoff's Prelude No. 5 in the playlist, but substituted another on YouTube that Rhodes suggested watching (not just listening to) in his text.
For the one piece I couldn't find in either place (Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 1 in C Major performed by Zlata Chochieva), I ended up chosing the performance by Valentina Lisitsa, who did the other Chopin piece selected by Rhodes. This turned out to be a good choice, because the video was of Lisitsa actually playing the piece, and I could see the pianist's hands - something Rhodes spoke about in extensively in his text.
I would like to see the playlist offered in other formats besides Spotify. I suspect some music teachers out there still use CDs, which are easy enough to include in a printed book. Videos (such as on YouTube or a similar free site) that show the actual performance are also an advantage to visual learners (like me), who learn better when they can see as well as hear.
I will be recommending this book for my university library's curriculum collection, used by future teachers.
Carpet Diem by Justin Lee Anderson and read by Matthew Lloyd Davies, is a fantasy audiobook that won the 2018 Audie Award for Humor. Simon, the main character, has an old rug that an angel and a demon, representatives of God and the Devil, are fighting over, and he has to decide which one gets it. Only the rug is stolen - so he has to find it first. The book is full of funny characters and situations, and was inspired by Neil Gaiman (according to an author interview). I enjoyed Davies' voicings, but I didn't care for his rendition of Simon's aunt Harriet - too screechy!
South of Broad by Pat Conroy - realistic fiction. Leopold "Leo" "Toad" Bloom King is the narrator of this story of high school friendship and adult problems. In the summer of 1969, just before his senior year of high school in Charleston, South Carolina, Leo is coming to the end of probation on a drug charge, after ten years of mental illness sparked by his older brother's suicide at age 10. His former-nun mother (now high school principal) orders him to make contact with nine incoming seniors: Ike, the son of the new - and black - football coach; Sheba and Trevor, twins moving in across the street; rich kids Chad, his sister Fraser and girlfriend Molly, kicked out of their prep school for drug possession; and orphans Niles and Starla (who are siblings) and Betty (who is black). Not surprisingly, by the end of part 1, this group of misfits are all friends.
Parts 2 and 3 are set in 1989, when Sheba - now a movie star - comes back to Charleston to enlist the help of her friends (who ended up marrying each other) in finding her gay brother Trevor in San Francisco. Part 4 goes back to 1969-70 and the group's senior year in high school, and part 5 returns to 1989-90.
I liked this book despite the stereotyped characters and the sometimes-too-witty repartee. Maybe because it reminded me a bit of my own high-school group, although we were nowhere near as close 20+ years post-graduation. Even better though were the lyrical descriptions of Charleston, so much so that now I'd really like to visit it. I found the plot to be interesting and I did not see the revelation at the end coming - although I should have.
I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. by Gilly Segal Author & Kimberly Jones, read by Brittany Pressley and Channie Waites. This is one of Overdrive's Big Library Reads, a much better choice than Flat Broke With Two Goats in April 2018, but not quite as good as The Other Einstein in June 2017. In any case, the e-audiobook was readily available with no wait and short enough for me to listen to on a six-hour drive, so I checked it out. Campbell is a white girl whose parents are divorced. She recently moved into her dad's neighborhood when her mother sent her to live there due to a job-related move out of the country. Lena is a popular black girl at Campbell's high school. They are thrown together after a race riot during a football game, trying to make their ways back home through turmoil.
Brave with Beauty - paperback, childrens, early reviewer, biography, picture book - An illustrated biography of Goharshad, the real early-15th-century Persian queen of what is now part of present-day Afghanistan, who was responsible for the construction of a beautiful mosque (still standing) as well as a religious complex that is mostly gone. Aimed at ages 7-9, its text-heavy story, topics, and vocabulary place it more at ages 10-12. Colorful illustrations and an activity guide for educators are a plus.
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund - historical fiction - Naslund took a brief reference in Moby Dick (which you don't need to read first) to the wife of Captain Ahab, and created an entire life for that character. Una Spenser is a little too modern for the era, in my opinion, but that gave the author the opportunity to bring up all the causes and concerns of the day (for example, religion - Quakers, Unitarians, Universalists) and have Una interact with various famous people of the early- to mid-1800s (Frederick Douglass, Maria Mitchell, etc.), primarily on Nantucket island. The first half of the book, about Una's life on an island lighthouse near New Bedford, and her decision to disguise herself as a cabin boy to follow two men she admires onto a whaling ship, is more interesting. The second half of the book, after she marries Captain Ahab, really drags, and could have been shortened considerably (the book is 666 pages as a trade paperback), particularly after the death of Ahab is confirmed.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Playlist: The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound by James Rhodes - early reviewers, young adult, nonfiction - is an introduction to classical music appropriate for those of middle school and high school age. As one who could be a grandmother to such readers, and not a music aficianado, I'm not the intended audience for this book - yet I learned a lot from it. I am approaching this review from the point of view of a librarian tasked with providing books for K-12 students or music teachers.
The book itself is eye-catching. It is approximately the size and shape of old 33 rpm vinyl records, with a rather plain black cover (further evoking that comparison), but a psychedelic dust jacket by Martin O'Neill, furthering the revolutionaries/rebels/rock stars theme. O'Neill's illustrations throughout the book use collage with ephemera and mixed media, photographs, silk screen, and digital media.
Inside, after an introduction and a page about the playlist (more on that in a bit), Rhodes, a professional pianist, has selected seven composers to write about, as well as two compositions by each. Each composer has eight pages alloted to him - a double-page illustrated spread with the composer's surname and a nickname Rhodes gives him (I especially liked Ravel: Shock and Awe), followed by biographical information on the next spread, including some contemporary artists and soundtracks that have used his work (I do agree with other reviewers that some of these could become dated with time).
This is followed by double-page spreads on each of the compositions, including notes on what to listen for (although sometimes the times given are a bit off) and Rhodes' interpretations of the music. Interspersed between the composers are spreads on the orchestra and a timeline of Western classical music, and the book ends with a glossary of musical terms used within the book (the terms were printed in boldface in the text) and an index. I would have liked to see at least a short bibliography as well, to know the sources of some of Rhodes' information.
Not being a musical expert, I won't quibble with the selections by Rhodes, which naturally favor piano. Of course he includes the big three of classical music, Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. I agree with another reviewer that an aria from one of Mozart's operas (since he is famous for those) would have been a better choice than an overture, and I would have liked to see a harpsichord piece for Bach (I am a fan of those).
Now, for the playlist: it's available on Spotify. As another reviewer noted, this makes it unavailable to readers under age 13 (seventh grade for most students), without either an illegal registration, or the aid of an adult. I don't have a Spotify account, and don't want to register for yet another site I won't use, so (again, like another reviewer - thanks for the suggestion!) I found eleven of the selections specified by Rhodes on YouTube, and one on Earsense (the Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major by Schubert). I also couldn't find the specific version of Rachmaninoff's Prelude No. 5 in the playlist, but substituted another on YouTube that Rhodes suggested watching (not just listening to) in his text.
For the one piece I couldn't find in either place (Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 1 in C Major performed by Zlata Chochieva), I ended up chosing the performance by Valentina Lisitsa, who did the other Chopin piece selected by Rhodes. This turned out to be a good choice, because the video was of Lisitsa actually playing the piece, and I could see the pianist's hands - something Rhodes spoke about in extensively in his text.
I would like to see the playlist offered in other formats besides Spotify. I suspect some music teachers out there still use CDs, which are easy enough to include in a printed book. Videos (such as on YouTube or a similar free site) that show the actual performance are also an advantage to visual learners (like me), who learn better when they can see as well as hear.
I will be recommending this book for my university library's curriculum collection, used by future teachers.
Carpet Diem by Justin Lee Anderson and read by Matthew Lloyd Davies, is a fantasy audiobook that won the 2018 Audie Award for Humor. Simon, the main character, has an old rug that an angel and a demon, representatives of God and the Devil, are fighting over, and he has to decide which one gets it. Only the rug is stolen - so he has to find it first. The book is full of funny characters and situations, and was inspired by Neil Gaiman (according to an author interview). I enjoyed Davies' voicings, but I didn't care for his rendition of Simon's aunt Harriet - too screechy!
South of Broad by Pat Conroy - realistic fiction. Leopold "Leo" "Toad" Bloom King is the narrator of this story of high school friendship and adult problems. In the summer of 1969, just before his senior year of high school in Charleston, South Carolina, Leo is coming to the end of probation on a drug charge, after ten years of mental illness sparked by his older brother's suicide at age 10. His former-nun mother (now high school principal) orders him to make contact with nine incoming seniors: Ike, the son of the new - and black - football coach; Sheba and Trevor, twins moving in across the street; rich kids Chad, his sister Fraser and girlfriend Molly, kicked out of their prep school for drug possession; and orphans Niles and Starla (who are siblings) and Betty (who is black). Not surprisingly, by the end of part 1, this group of misfits are all friends.
Parts 2 and 3 are set in 1989, when Sheba - now a movie star - comes back to Charleston to enlist the help of her friends (who ended up marrying each other) in finding her gay brother Trevor in San Francisco. Part 4 goes back to 1969-70 and the group's senior year in high school, and part 5 returns to 1989-90.
I liked this book despite the stereotyped characters and the sometimes-too-witty repartee. Maybe because it reminded me a bit of my own high-school group, although we were nowhere near as close 20+ years post-graduation. Even better though were the lyrical descriptions of Charleston, so much so that now I'd really like to visit it. I found the plot to be interesting and I did not see the revelation at the end coming - although I should have.
I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. by Gilly Segal Author & Kimberly Jones, read by Brittany Pressley and Channie Waites. This is one of Overdrive's Big Library Reads, a much better choice than Flat Broke With Two Goats in April 2018, but not quite as good as The Other Einstein in June 2017. In any case, the e-audiobook was readily available with no wait and short enough for me to listen to on a six-hour drive, so I checked it out. Campbell is a white girl whose parents are divorced. She recently moved into her dad's neighborhood when her mother sent her to live there due to a job-related move out of the country. Lena is a popular black girl at Campbell's high school. They are thrown together after a race riot during a football game, trying to make their ways back home through turmoil.
Brave with Beauty - paperback, childrens, early reviewer, biography, picture book - An illustrated biography of Goharshad, the real early-15th-century Persian queen of what is now part of present-day Afghanistan, who was responsible for the construction of a beautiful mosque (still standing) as well as a religious complex that is mostly gone. Aimed at ages 7-9, its text-heavy story, topics, and vocabulary place it more at ages 10-12. Colorful illustrations and an activity guide for educators are a plus.
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund - historical fiction - Naslund took a brief reference in Moby Dick (which you don't need to read first) to the wife of Captain Ahab, and created an entire life for that character. Una Spenser is a little too modern for the era, in my opinion, but that gave the author the opportunity to bring up all the causes and concerns of the day (for example, religion - Quakers, Unitarians, Universalists) and have Una interact with various famous people of the early- to mid-1800s (Frederick Douglass, Maria Mitchell, etc.), primarily on Nantucket island. The first half of the book, about Una's life on an island lighthouse near New Bedford, and her decision to disguise herself as a cabin boy to follow two men she admires onto a whaling ship, is more interesting. The second half of the book, after she marries Captain Ahab, really drags, and could have been shortened considerably (the book is 666 pages as a trade paperback), particularly after the death of Ahab is confirmed.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Thursday, October 31, 2019
942-947 (2019 #69-74). October 2019
Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb - early reviewer - More "beach read" romance than historical fiction, the setting for this book is primarily the French Riviera (Cannes and Grasse), as well as Monaco, mostly in 1955, when American actress Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier while attending the Cannes film festival, and 1956, when they married in Monaco.
However, these historical figures are very minor characters in the book. Instead, it focuses on two fictional characters, French perfumer Sophie Duval, and British photographer James Henderson. They interact with Grace and also develop a romance of their own, albeit with complications.
For me, the most interesting part of the book was learning a little about the making of perfumes. The authors divided the book into three parts (for the three years in which the story takes place), and named them for the "notes" of a perfume's scent - the head (or top), heart, and base - providing a short definition for each at the beginning of each section. These fit what was happening in the story perfectly.
However, I did not like the ending of this book, and found it rather unrealistic - at least to me - for a romance. In addition, I never got a feel for the setting - neither time nor place - which is another reason I can't consider it to be historical fiction.
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff - historical fiction
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff - historical fiction
Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy by Terry G. Jordan - Terry G. Jordan was a professor of cultural geography at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) when this book was published in 1982. This book discusses the features of three types of cultural graveyards typically found in Texas - Mexican, German, and what the author calls "southern" (a blend of Anglo-American, African-American, and Native-American customs).
Although an academic book, with seven small-font pages each of endnotes and bibliography, and a three-page index, it is quite readable, as it is only 126 pages and is illustrated with numerous black-and-white photos and drawings, and includes a double-page-spread map of Texas counties. Some color photos, especially in the Mexican graveyard chapter, would have been a nice addition.
The chapter on German graveyards was particularly interesting, especially the sections on internal spatial arrangement (stone and wood grave curbings), metal glass wreath boxes, intricate metalwork crosses, elaborate (often rhyming) epitaphs in German, and the various hex signs and symbols decorating markers: Sonnenrad (sun wheels), Hakenkreuz (swastika, often whirling), Sechsstern (six-pointed stars), Urbogen (arc), Drudenfuss or Hexefiess ("witch's foot"), Pentagramm, and Teutonic concave-pointed turnip-shaped hearts.
Sargeant Billy by Mirielle Messier - early reviewers, picture book- Subtitled "The True Story of The Goat Who Went to War," Mirielle Messier's Sargeant Billy is a picture book about a real goat named Billy (duh!) adopted in Saskatchewan in 1914 by a Canadian platoon. The goat made it to England, France, and Belgium, served the entire World War I, was wounded and received medals, and promoted to the rank of sargeant. Kass Reich's illustrations, hand-painted in gouache colors with digitally-added details, are cheerful despite the muted browns and greens of a war story. I especially liked the red poppies of the endpapers. The book ends with two pages of information, including photographs, of the real Sargeant Billy.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
However, these historical figures are very minor characters in the book. Instead, it focuses on two fictional characters, French perfumer Sophie Duval, and British photographer James Henderson. They interact with Grace and also develop a romance of their own, albeit with complications.
For me, the most interesting part of the book was learning a little about the making of perfumes. The authors divided the book into three parts (for the three years in which the story takes place), and named them for the "notes" of a perfume's scent - the head (or top), heart, and base - providing a short definition for each at the beginning of each section. These fit what was happening in the story perfectly.
However, I did not like the ending of this book, and found it rather unrealistic - at least to me - for a romance. In addition, I never got a feel for the setting - neither time nor place - which is another reason I can't consider it to be historical fiction.
The Book of Aron written and read by Jim Shepard - audiobook, historical fiction
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff - historical fiction
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff - historical fiction
Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy by Terry G. Jordan - Terry G. Jordan was a professor of cultural geography at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) when this book was published in 1982. This book discusses the features of three types of cultural graveyards typically found in Texas - Mexican, German, and what the author calls "southern" (a blend of Anglo-American, African-American, and Native-American customs).
Although an academic book, with seven small-font pages each of endnotes and bibliography, and a three-page index, it is quite readable, as it is only 126 pages and is illustrated with numerous black-and-white photos and drawings, and includes a double-page-spread map of Texas counties. Some color photos, especially in the Mexican graveyard chapter, would have been a nice addition.
The chapter on German graveyards was particularly interesting, especially the sections on internal spatial arrangement (stone and wood grave curbings), metal glass wreath boxes, intricate metalwork crosses, elaborate (often rhyming) epitaphs in German, and the various hex signs and symbols decorating markers: Sonnenrad (sun wheels), Hakenkreuz (swastika, often whirling), Sechsstern (six-pointed stars), Urbogen (arc), Drudenfuss or Hexefiess ("witch's foot"), Pentagramm, and Teutonic concave-pointed turnip-shaped hearts.
Sargeant Billy by Mirielle Messier - early reviewers, picture book- Subtitled "The True Story of The Goat Who Went to War," Mirielle Messier's Sargeant Billy is a picture book about a real goat named Billy (duh!) adopted in Saskatchewan in 1914 by a Canadian platoon. The goat made it to England, France, and Belgium, served the entire World War I, was wounded and received medals, and promoted to the rank of sargeant. Kass Reich's illustrations, hand-painted in gouache colors with digitally-added details, are cheerful despite the muted browns and greens of a war story. I especially liked the red poppies of the endpapers. The book ends with two pages of information, including photographs, of the real Sargeant Billy.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Monday, September 30, 2019
933-941 (2019 #60-68). September 2019
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham
Chasing the Last Laugh by Richard Zacks - nonfiction about Mark Twain
Paper by Mark Kurlansky - nonfiction
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper
Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert (nonfiction, did not finish)
Count on Me by Miguel Tanco - early reviewer picture book - This is a great picture book to encourage a child who loves math. The main character, a little girl, notices that her family members have different passions (painting, insect study, and music), and tries out different activities at school, but math is her passion. The ink and watercolor illustrations by Spanish author/illustrator Miguel Tanco are in a muted palette of browns, grays, and beige, with bits of burnt oranges and reds, and don't distract from the text. The "My Math" journal at the end of the book is especially interesting, with its illustrated glossary of such terms as fractals, polygons, concentric circles, curves, solids, trajectories, and sets, but a bit above the reading level of the rest of the book.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham
Chasing the Last Laugh by Richard Zacks - nonfiction about Mark Twain
Paper by Mark Kurlansky - nonfiction
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper
Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert (nonfiction, did not finish)
Count on Me by Miguel Tanco - early reviewer picture book - This is a great picture book to encourage a child who loves math. The main character, a little girl, notices that her family members have different passions (painting, insect study, and music), and tries out different activities at school, but math is her passion. The ink and watercolor illustrations by Spanish author/illustrator Miguel Tanco are in a muted palette of browns, grays, and beige, with bits of burnt oranges and reds, and don't distract from the text. The "My Math" journal at the end of the book is especially interesting, with its illustrated glossary of such terms as fractals, polygons, concentric circles, curves, solids, trajectories, and sets, but a bit above the reading level of the rest of the book.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Saturday, August 31, 2019
925-932 (2019 #52-59). August 2019
1776 by David McCullough - narrative nonfiction - I think what I liked best about this book - which discusses the Revolutionary War almost solely during the year of 1776 - were the lifelike paintings by Charles Willson Peale of such participants as George Washington and his top lieutenants, Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox. It's a good followup to American Spring, which covers December 1774 through June 1775 (Battle of Bunker Hill). The book is just under 300 pages, followed by 47 pages of source notes, 22 pages of bibliography, and a 14-page index.
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon - Jane Collingwood and Sian Thomas narrated the audiobook, with Collingwood voicing Anna’s chapters and Thomas taking on Anastasia’s storyline. They do a marvelous job. I particularly liked the youth and innocence of Thomas’s voice as the teenaged Anastasia.
The Last Captive by A. C. Greene - In May 1870, almost-11-year-old Herman Lehmann and his 8 year old brother, Willie, were captured by an Apache raiding party outside the home of his German immigrant mother and stepfather in rural Mason County, Texas. While Willie escaped shortly thereafter, Herman spent the next eight years with the Apaches and later the Comanches. His story was originally told by others (because Herman was mostly illiterate), first in the 1899 misnamed A Condensed History of the Apache and Comanche Indian Tribes for Amusements and General Knowledge [aka Indianology] by Jonathan H. Jones, and the second (also misnamed) in 1927 by J. Marvin Hunter, Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870- 1879 (1927). Greene combines and edits these narratives, commenting when the versions differ, and adding information from outside sources. Nevertheless, the book is hard to read, partly because Herman's story is so rambling and repetitious - endless raid after raid. I find it hard to believe Herman would have actually remembered so much detail from a young age, and I think a lot of his story is made up.
Chevato : The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann -
Written by William Chebahtah (a great-grandson of Chevato) and Nancy McGown Minor, this is nonfiction about the Lipan Apache who was part of the Mescalero Apache band that kidnapped almost-11-year-old Herman Lehmann outside the home of his German immigrant mother and stepfather in rural Mason County, Texas. The book really is about Chevato, though, who later (as did Herman) joined the Comanche Indians led by Quanah Parker. Chevato was friends with my husband's great-grandparents, Tandy Clayton and Nancy Jones Moore, who rented land from him in Indiahoma, Oklahoma in the early 1900s.
Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird, read by Bahni Turpin - historical fiction, audiobook - great story based on an actual former slave. "A tribute in fiction inspired by the singular decision made by Cathy/Cathay Williams, the first woman to enlist in the peacetime U. S. Army, and the only to ever serve (1866-1868) with the fabled Buffalo Soldiers." She disappears after 1892.
The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy - hybrid, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction
Mozart's Starling by Luanda Lynn Gault, read by Linda Henning - nonfiction, audiobook
Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon - historical fiction - sources were Hindenburg: An Illustrated History and www.facesofthehindenburg.blogspot.com
© Amanda Pape - 2019
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon - Jane Collingwood and Sian Thomas narrated the audiobook, with Collingwood voicing Anna’s chapters and Thomas taking on Anastasia’s storyline. They do a marvelous job. I particularly liked the youth and innocence of Thomas’s voice as the teenaged Anastasia.
The Last Captive by A. C. Greene - In May 1870, almost-11-year-old Herman Lehmann and his 8 year old brother, Willie, were captured by an Apache raiding party outside the home of his German immigrant mother and stepfather in rural Mason County, Texas. While Willie escaped shortly thereafter, Herman spent the next eight years with the Apaches and later the Comanches. His story was originally told by others (because Herman was mostly illiterate), first in the 1899 misnamed A Condensed History of the Apache and Comanche Indian Tribes for Amusements and General Knowledge [aka Indianology] by Jonathan H. Jones, and the second (also misnamed) in 1927 by J. Marvin Hunter, Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870- 1879 (1927). Greene combines and edits these narratives, commenting when the versions differ, and adding information from outside sources. Nevertheless, the book is hard to read, partly because Herman's story is so rambling and repetitious - endless raid after raid. I find it hard to believe Herman would have actually remembered so much detail from a young age, and I think a lot of his story is made up.
Chevato : The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann -
Written by William Chebahtah (a great-grandson of Chevato) and Nancy McGown Minor, this is nonfiction about the Lipan Apache who was part of the Mescalero Apache band that kidnapped almost-11-year-old Herman Lehmann outside the home of his German immigrant mother and stepfather in rural Mason County, Texas. The book really is about Chevato, though, who later (as did Herman) joined the Comanche Indians led by Quanah Parker. Chevato was friends with my husband's great-grandparents, Tandy Clayton and Nancy Jones Moore, who rented land from him in Indiahoma, Oklahoma in the early 1900s.
The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy - hybrid, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction
Mozart's Starling by Luanda Lynn Gault, read by Linda Henning - nonfiction, audiobook
Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon - historical fiction - sources were Hindenburg: An Illustrated History and www.facesofthehindenburg.blogspot.com
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
919-924 (2019 #46-51). July 2019
Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan - realistic fiction - woman loses husband and job to her assistant at work. Predictable.
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier - historical fiction - set in England in the period from January 1901 (just after Queen Victoria's death) to May 1910 (just after the death of her son, King Edward VII). Lots of detail on mourning customs of the day. Pretty wierd book.
Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams, read by Kristin Kalbli - I figured out some of the relationships pretty quickly in this triple time period mystery (1930, 1951, and 1969), set on an island in Long Island Sound (based on the real Fishers Island) populated by the wealthy during the summer and a mostly Portuguese immigrant population year-round. Nevertheless, the book held my interest all the way through. The audiobook narrator was a big reason. I'd certainly read/listen to this author/narrator again.
The Passion of Dolssa - by Julie Berry, read by the author, Jayne Entwistle, Fiona Hardingham, and Allan Corduner - historical fiction, audiobook, young adult, 2017 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book. Botille Flasucra, a 17-year-old peasant girl matchmaker in 13th-century southern France, meets Dolssa de Stigata, an 18-year-old noblewoman mystic on the run from the Inquisition. Condemned to burn to death as a heretic, Dolssa is hidden by Botille and her family and friends. Fiona Hardingham narrates Dolssa’s sections in a gentle, lilting tone. Jayne Entwistle’s warm, earthy narration brings to life teenaged Botille, her sisters, and the other peasants in Bajas, where the sisters run a tavern. The contrast between the two narrations reaffirms the differences between the two young women’s characters. Allan Corduner’s intense baritone sounds ominous as he portrays the Dominican Inquisitors who pursue Dolssa. The narrators smoothly handle the many words of dialect included in the story. At the end, the author reads extensive historical notes and a glossary. The audiobook is a plus for proper pronunciation of the Occitan words used in the novel, but I also enjoyed looking at a print copy to see how they were spelled. The ending is a little confusing - the author explains it here: http://www.julieberrybooks.com/about-the-ending-to-the-passion-of-
Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir - subtitled "The Princess in the Portrait" - The fourth of noted Tudor historian Alison Weir's fictional takes on the wives of Henry VIII, this one covers another lesser-known queen, the fourth, Anne of Cleves (properly, in German, Anna von Kleve), whose marriage to Henry was annulled. Weir has some interesting theories about Anna, and shares the basis for them in her author's note at the end. I found them plausible. They certainly make Anna more interesting. At 498 pages, the book is a little long, with a little too much detail (especially about the endless moves from palace to palace) than necessary. LT early reviewer, historical fiction.
Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt, read by Erin Bennett - nonfiction audiobook. 30+ pages of endnotes, 13-page index, numerous photos and diagrams both black-and-white and color in print book (and I think in a PDF with the audiobook). Stories of the female human computers working at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California from the 1940s to 2016, mostly on unmanned space missions (so it was a history of those too). Personal stories of the women felt forced into the narrative.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier - historical fiction - set in England in the period from January 1901 (just after Queen Victoria's death) to May 1910 (just after the death of her son, King Edward VII). Lots of detail on mourning customs of the day. Pretty wierd book.
Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams, read by Kristin Kalbli - I figured out some of the relationships pretty quickly in this triple time period mystery (1930, 1951, and 1969), set on an island in Long Island Sound (based on the real Fishers Island) populated by the wealthy during the summer and a mostly Portuguese immigrant population year-round. Nevertheless, the book held my interest all the way through. The audiobook narrator was a big reason. I'd certainly read/listen to this author/narrator again.
The Passion of Dolssa - by Julie Berry, read by the author, Jayne Entwistle, Fiona Hardingham, and Allan Corduner - historical fiction, audiobook, young adult, 2017 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book. Botille Flasucra, a 17-year-old peasant girl matchmaker in 13th-century southern France, meets Dolssa de Stigata, an 18-year-old noblewoman mystic on the run from the Inquisition. Condemned to burn to death as a heretic, Dolssa is hidden by Botille and her family and friends. Fiona Hardingham narrates Dolssa’s sections in a gentle, lilting tone. Jayne Entwistle’s warm, earthy narration brings to life teenaged Botille, her sisters, and the other peasants in Bajas, where the sisters run a tavern. The contrast between the two narrations reaffirms the differences between the two young women’s characters. Allan Corduner’s intense baritone sounds ominous as he portrays the Dominican Inquisitors who pursue Dolssa. The narrators smoothly handle the many words of dialect included in the story. At the end, the author reads extensive historical notes and a glossary. The audiobook is a plus for proper pronunciation of the Occitan words used in the novel, but I also enjoyed looking at a print copy to see how they were spelled. The ending is a little confusing - the author explains it here: http://www.julieberrybooks.com/about-the-ending-to-the-passion-of-
Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir - subtitled "The Princess in the Portrait" - The fourth of noted Tudor historian Alison Weir's fictional takes on the wives of Henry VIII, this one covers another lesser-known queen, the fourth, Anne of Cleves (properly, in German, Anna von Kleve), whose marriage to Henry was annulled. Weir has some interesting theories about Anna, and shares the basis for them in her author's note at the end. I found them plausible. They certainly make Anna more interesting. At 498 pages, the book is a little long, with a little too much detail (especially about the endless moves from palace to palace) than necessary. LT early reviewer, historical fiction.
Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt, read by Erin Bennett - nonfiction audiobook. 30+ pages of endnotes, 13-page index, numerous photos and diagrams both black-and-white and color in print book (and I think in a PDF with the audiobook). Stories of the female human computers working at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California from the 1940s to 2016, mostly on unmanned space missions (so it was a history of those too). Personal stories of the women felt forced into the narrative.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Sunday, June 30, 2019
910-918 (2019 #37-#45 ). June 2019
Queenmaker by India Edghill - I really enjoyed this historical fiction about King David's first wife, Michal, daughter of King Saul. In this story, told in first person by Michal, she is a good friend to friend to David's mistress Bathsheba, the mother of the next king, Solomon. Having no children of her own, Michal takes a liking to Solomon and helps maneuver him into the kingship. I'm no biblical scholar, so I could enjoy this story entirely on its own merits - and I did. I'd like to read other novels by India Edghill based on Old Testament women.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, read by George Newbern. Ove (a Swedish name, as the book was originally written in Swedish, pronounced Oo-vah) is a rule-following curmudgeon - at least at the beginning of the book. Reminds me of my dad - or my husband, who also hates BMWs (albeit for a different reason). A funny book that's also a little sad. Ove lost his wife of about 40 years rather suddenly, and six months later his job, and tries to commit suicide multiple times in different ways throughout the book. Each time, though, some incident with his neighbors interrupts him. These are interspersed with Ove's backstory, which shows the reader how he became the man he is at the beginning of the book - and at the end. Voice and film actor George Newbern is a marvelous narrator whose droll reading made me laugh. Liked this so much that I've checked out the audio version of another of Fredrik Backman's books as well as two of his novellas.
Souvenir by Therese Fowler - realistic fiction, advance reader edition - This one wasn't so clearly marked as an ARE, so it sat on my TBR shelf for a while. Meg Powell and Carson McKay are neighbors who fall in love as teens, only to have Meg marry her boss Brian (who can forgive her father's overdue mortgage payments) after a wedding-eve last fling with Carson. About 17 years later, Meg is an obstetrician with an almost-16 daughter Savannah, and Carson is a successful musician about to be married to a woman nearly half his age. You can probably guess where some of this is going.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Meg, Carson, and Savannah. Savannah's I could do without, as she does some typical stupid-teen stuff, but it's necessary to the plot. The big part of the story is Meg's recent diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and her desire to admit her mistakes, leave something for her daughter, yet die the way she wants to go. That part did make me think.
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis - graphic novel, historical fiction, early reviewer - I'm not a graphic novel aficionado, but I really liked this book. Loosely based on the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and her older half-sister Queen Mary I of England, it's historical fiction nevertheless because of its depiction of life in the sixteenth century. I especially appreciated all the information about everyday matters in a convent (particularly the observation of the Canonical Hours), saints, embroidery stitches, and playing chess. Dylan Meconis' mixed media illustrations, most in earth and sea tones but some in bright colors, are appealing, as is the heroine, the orphan Margaret. The ending signals a sequel to come, and I'd gladly read all 394 (or more) pages of that as well.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, by Kate Clifford Larson, read by Bernadette Dunne. Biography, audiobook. Probably more about Rosemary's parents than Rosemary, whose mental disabilities may have been due to a nurse pushing her back into the birth canal for two hours until a doctor finally arrived for her home birth in 1918. Father Joe was apparently the one who approved her lobotomy in 1941 - he didn't research it enough and came across as having it done because Rosemary's behavior was becoming a potential problem for her brothers' political futures. Mother Rose rarely visited her institutionalized daughter and often passed off care of her nine children to take vacations instead. Bernadette Dunne does a good job reading the audiobook, but the print or electronic version is better because it includes photographs of Rosemary, as well as author Kate Clifford Larson's note (which explains her interest in Rosemary - she has a son with a mental illness), extensive endnotes, and an index.
Now What? A Math Tale by Robie H. Harris - This is a cute picture book introducing three-dimensional shapes though a story of a puppy making a bed out of building blocks. The illustrations were done in pencil and colored digitally, although the wooden blocks look like photographs. Disappointing because the subtitle made me think it would have more meat to it, but it's really aimed at preschoolers.
And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman - novella (76 pages), realistic fiction - sweet, sad short story about an aging grandfather losing his memories, and his wanting to share them with and say goodbye to his grandson while he still can. I liked this one and will hang on to it for a bit to share with my son when he next visits.
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman - novella (65 pages), realistic fiction - I checked this as well as And Every Morning... out from the library after reading A Man Called Ove, since I liked that book so much. I read this after And Every Morning and was disappointed. A fable (because there's a moral) set at Christmas Eve, about a successful man dying from cancer and his regrets about not spending more time with his son. There's a supernatural aspect to it that ties in with the title. Did not like this as well as the previous two books.
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman, read by Joan Walker - gave up halfway through. Reader is terrible on the voices of 7-year-old Elsa and her grandmother - screechy! Elsa is way too knowledgeable even for a precocious child. The fantasy and fairy-tale aspects (too much Harry Potter and X-Men) were wearing, and I found myself skipping over many of those, and yet still very little had happened halfway though the book. So I quit listening. I did place a hold on the print version; not sure if I will finish the book or not.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, read by George Newbern. Ove (a Swedish name, as the book was originally written in Swedish, pronounced Oo-vah) is a rule-following curmudgeon - at least at the beginning of the book. Reminds me of my dad - or my husband, who also hates BMWs (albeit for a different reason). A funny book that's also a little sad. Ove lost his wife of about 40 years rather suddenly, and six months later his job, and tries to commit suicide multiple times in different ways throughout the book. Each time, though, some incident with his neighbors interrupts him. These are interspersed with Ove's backstory, which shows the reader how he became the man he is at the beginning of the book - and at the end. Voice and film actor George Newbern is a marvelous narrator whose droll reading made me laugh. Liked this so much that I've checked out the audio version of another of Fredrik Backman's books as well as two of his novellas.
Souvenir by Therese Fowler - realistic fiction, advance reader edition - This one wasn't so clearly marked as an ARE, so it sat on my TBR shelf for a while. Meg Powell and Carson McKay are neighbors who fall in love as teens, only to have Meg marry her boss Brian (who can forgive her father's overdue mortgage payments) after a wedding-eve last fling with Carson. About 17 years later, Meg is an obstetrician with an almost-16 daughter Savannah, and Carson is a successful musician about to be married to a woman nearly half his age. You can probably guess where some of this is going.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Meg, Carson, and Savannah. Savannah's I could do without, as she does some typical stupid-teen stuff, but it's necessary to the plot. The big part of the story is Meg's recent diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and her desire to admit her mistakes, leave something for her daughter, yet die the way she wants to go. That part did make me think.
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis - graphic novel, historical fiction, early reviewer - I'm not a graphic novel aficionado, but I really liked this book. Loosely based on the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and her older half-sister Queen Mary I of England, it's historical fiction nevertheless because of its depiction of life in the sixteenth century. I especially appreciated all the information about everyday matters in a convent (particularly the observation of the Canonical Hours), saints, embroidery stitches, and playing chess. Dylan Meconis' mixed media illustrations, most in earth and sea tones but some in bright colors, are appealing, as is the heroine, the orphan Margaret. The ending signals a sequel to come, and I'd gladly read all 394 (or more) pages of that as well.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, by Kate Clifford Larson, read by Bernadette Dunne. Biography, audiobook. Probably more about Rosemary's parents than Rosemary, whose mental disabilities may have been due to a nurse pushing her back into the birth canal for two hours until a doctor finally arrived for her home birth in 1918. Father Joe was apparently the one who approved her lobotomy in 1941 - he didn't research it enough and came across as having it done because Rosemary's behavior was becoming a potential problem for her brothers' political futures. Mother Rose rarely visited her institutionalized daughter and often passed off care of her nine children to take vacations instead. Bernadette Dunne does a good job reading the audiobook, but the print or electronic version is better because it includes photographs of Rosemary, as well as author Kate Clifford Larson's note (which explains her interest in Rosemary - she has a son with a mental illness), extensive endnotes, and an index.
Now What? A Math Tale by Robie H. Harris - This is a cute picture book introducing three-dimensional shapes though a story of a puppy making a bed out of building blocks. The illustrations were done in pencil and colored digitally, although the wooden blocks look like photographs. Disappointing because the subtitle made me think it would have more meat to it, but it's really aimed at preschoolers.
And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman - novella (76 pages), realistic fiction - sweet, sad short story about an aging grandfather losing his memories, and his wanting to share them with and say goodbye to his grandson while he still can. I liked this one and will hang on to it for a bit to share with my son when he next visits.
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman - novella (65 pages), realistic fiction - I checked this as well as And Every Morning... out from the library after reading A Man Called Ove, since I liked that book so much. I read this after And Every Morning and was disappointed. A fable (because there's a moral) set at Christmas Eve, about a successful man dying from cancer and his regrets about not spending more time with his son. There's a supernatural aspect to it that ties in with the title. Did not like this as well as the previous two books.
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman, read by Joan Walker - gave up halfway through. Reader is terrible on the voices of 7-year-old Elsa and her grandmother - screechy! Elsa is way too knowledgeable even for a precocious child. The fantasy and fairy-tale aspects (too much Harry Potter and X-Men) were wearing, and I found myself skipping over many of those, and yet still very little had happened halfway though the book. So I quit listening. I did place a hold on the print version; not sure if I will finish the book or not.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Friday, May 31, 2019
906-909 (2019 #33-36) May 2019
The Wright Brothers, written and read by David McCullough - biography, audiobook. McCullough is OK as a reader - sometimes his speech is a bit garbled (slurs or mumbles). Better though to read the print book, which includes lots of black-and-white photos and other images, as well as 33 pages of source notes, a six-page bibliography, a page of illustration credits, and a 10-page index at the end.
Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin - early reviewer, historical fiction. While I generally like Melanie Benjamin's books, this one is not a favorite. The novel is based on the real manager of the Ritz Hotel in Paris during the Nazi occupation of World War II (when the hotel was filled with Nazis), Claude Auzello, and his wife, American-born Blanche Rubenstein. Neither character is particularly likable, and their stories, told in third person, alternate and sometimes repeat.
Mischling by Affinity Konar - historical fiction?, audiobook - The audiobook reader, Vanessa Johannson, was excellent, and the audiobook includes an interview (albeit not a particularly insightful one) with the author. It's a Holocaust novel about twin Jewish girls who become part of Josef Mengele's experiments.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
899-905 (2019 #26-32) April 2019
This sturdy but beautiful board book features a circle of die-cut circles containing transparencies in rainbow colors. As you turn the pages, other colored film is added to combine with the previous shade to create a new color, and some colors are removed to better illustrate the concepts. Hold the book up to the light, and the colors glow. In the center of each large circle is a single symbol-like illustration made of two shades of a single color, picturing the concept on the text on the opposite page. The simple rhyming text teaches concepts of light and nature as well as colors to young children (ages 4-8). The cover is also die-cut to reveal the sunburst on the first spread. I felt at times that I was looking into a kaleidoscope, something I still love to do as an adult. I like this book SO much I may keep it for myself.
She Would Be King by Wayetu Moore - A blend of historical fiction and magical realism purporting to tell of the founding of the African country of Liberia. Gbessa is a native woman with red hair who is considered a witch, June Dey is an escaped American slave with a body inpenatrable by bullets, and Norman Aragon is the son of a white scientist and a Jamaican maroon (an African who has escaped slavery there) who has the ability to disappear. Just too weird a book for me, although I did finish it.
Work Like Any Other - by Virginia Reeves, read by Dan John Miller - audiobook, historical fiction - very good, set in 1920s Oklahoma (?)
Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave, read by (British) Luke Thompson - audiobook, historical fiction set in WWII - depressing!
The Scribe by Matthew Guinn, read by Lloyd James - historical thriller set in 1881 Atlanta, audiobook
Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini - ARC, early reviewers, historical fiction:
This historical fiction, set mostly in Germany from 1929 to 1946, focuses on four women. Three are real: Mildred Fish Harnack (an United States citizen married to a German), Greta Lorke Kuckhoff (who studied in Wisconsin with Mildred's husband Arvid), and Martha Dodd (daughter of the United States ambassador to Germany from 1933 to 1937). One is fictional, a Jewish woman named Sara Weitz created to portray the experiences of Jewish women involved in the resistance within Germany, specifically the Rote Kapelle anti-Nazi group in whcih Mildred and Greta were involved.
I particularly enjoyed learning more about Mildred, remembering her mentioned in Erik Larson's nonfiction In the Garden of Beasts, which focused on the experiences of Martha (a relatively minor character in this book) and her father.
Unlike another reviewer here, I very much appreciated the not-so-subtle parallels between Hitler and Trump. Jennifer Chiaverini never mentions Trump by name, so I am encouraged by the fact that some readers notice the comparison nevertheless. We need more of that in the United States at this time.
The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning - ARC, early reviewers, historical fiction, hybrid, realistic fiction -
The Song of the Jade Lily is a hybrid: historical fiction set in the 1939-1947 period in Shanghai, China (with scenes in 1938 in Austria and 1954 in Melbourne, Austria), and realistic fiction set in 2016 in Melbourne and Shanghai. Romy Bernfeld Cohen is in both storylines, her granddaughter Alexandra in 2016. Alexandra's job has taken her to Shanghai, and while there she is trying to learn more about her mother, whom Romy adopted.
Romy is 11 in 1938, and she and her parents escape Nazi Vienna and move to Shanghai. I was surprised to learn that over 20,000 Jewish refugees were accepted by this city, as this is a topic not often covered in fiction. Australian author Kirsty Manning's descriptions of Shanghai and life there in the World War II era reflect her extensive research.
Alexandra's story was less interesting to me, as she seems to spend much of her time eating and exploring in Shanghai. I felt it was included partly so the author could share her research and personal experiences with modern-day Shanghai's cuisine!
In her author's note, Manning wrote of the many experts who read and checked her manuscript. Too bad none of them realize that "no one" is two words, and not the invented single word noone. I found and marked 20 instances of this glaring, distracting error in the advance reader's edition - I can only hope it was caught and fixed before actual publication.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Sunday, March 31, 2019
892-898 (2019 #19 - 25). March 2019
The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert - After reading Eat, Pray, Love (which I hated), I wasn't expecting much from Elizabeth Gilbert, so I was rather surprised by The Signature of All Things. Yes, it was long (501 pages), and often tedious, but Henry and Alma Whittaker were interesting characters. Although it reads like historical fiction (mostly because Alma is born in 1800, and the book flashes back to her father Henry's youth), it really isn't (this review expresses why well). Not sure how this book ended up on my TBR shelves, but I finally decided to read it because it was the fattest book there and I needed the space for something else.
The Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See - historical fiction set on the Korean island of Jeju from the 1930s through the Korean War and its aftermath, alternating with the present day, e-book - depressing
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee, read by Emily Woo Zeller - audio - Western YA romance - Unrealistic Western young adult romance, set in 1849 on the Oregon Trail during the California Gold Rush. Emily Woo Zeller puts a lot of heart in her voicing of narrator Samantha, a 15-year-old Chinese immigrant orphan who disguises herself as a man along with 16-year-old runaway slave Annamae.
Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen - early reviewers, picture book. I didn't get this book. Perhaps one needs to have read the other two books in Mac Barnett's and Jon Klassen's trilogy, Triangle and Square, for this one to make sense. I thought the book was going to be something that might teach a little about shapes and their characteristics. Klassen's illustrations were created digitally and with watercolor (the lovely waterfall) and graphite. The covers are thick board, with high quality paper pages stitched together rather than glued.
The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman, read by Fiona Hardingham (Ruth Webber), Justine Eyre (Charlotte Sinclair Dryer), and Steve West (George Bowden) - historical fiction, audiobook. Much better than I thought it would be, particularly since I don't care for boxing. The audiobook readers really made the story, and sustained my interest through its length.
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy - early reviewers, historical fiction - Author Sarah McCoy took a passage from Anne of Green Gables (chapter 37), where Marilla Cuthbert speaks about John Blythe and says, "People called him my beau," and used that as the basis for this prequel, if you will, to the Anne series. Having never read nor watched the latter (I was - and am - a huge Little Women fanatic), I can't tell you if her portrait of Marilla (the woman who adopts Anne Shirley) is accurate or not. However, the book stands alone and is a wonderful depiction of life on Prince Edward Island in the period from 1837 (when Marilla is 13) to 1876 (just before Anne's arrival). The author's note at the end makes it clear this book is well-researched, and the story includes aspects of Canadian history and the Underground Railroad that are enlightening. Marilla of Green Gables, along with Maud by Melanie Fishbane (a biographical novel about Anne author L. M. Montgomery), have inspired me to finally read the Anne series.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Thursday, February 28, 2019
883-891 (2019 #10-18) February 2019
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr is nonfiction about the search for the long-lost, supposedly "original" The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio. It was particularly interesting to read about the research done by art history graduate students in various libraries and archives, as well as the meticulous work of art restorers. Harr writes in a journalistic style, but lists numerous sources in his four-plus page bibliography, and took the trouble to learn Italian so he could conduct most of his research interviews in Rome in that language.
The Venetian Bargain (also called The Venetian Contract) by Marina Fiorato (also known as M. A. Bennett), read by Pamela Garelick. Set first in Constantinople and then in Venice in 1576, the story revolves around the real bubonic plague epidemic that hit Venice at that time. The two main characters, half-Turkish and half-Venetian Feyra, and Annibale Cason (a Venetian doctor), are fictitious. However, a number of other characters are real: the architect Andrea Palladio; the Doge (ruler) of Venice, Sebastiano Venier, who is Feyra's grand uncle in the story; and Feyra's mother and the Doge's supposed niece (more likely a cousin), the Nurbanu Sultan. Fiorato altered some of the events of their lives to fit the story. Some places are real too - the church Palladio was designing, and the Lazzaretto Novo isolation island (formerly known as Vigna Murada), where so much of the story takes place, although its origins and use are altered to fit the story. The author cites sources on Palladio, Ottoman medicine, and the Renaissance medical treatment of plague. All of this was fascinating, and the story was exciting too. I'd be glad to read more of Marina Fiorato's historical fiction, if I could find any more in a library. I didn't care for Pamela Garelick's narration. Being British, she gave lower-class Italian characters Cockney accents, and the voices of Feyra and older men were all too raspy. She also read the book far too slowly.
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, by Dava Sobel - This is a fairly short (175 pages of text in trade paperback size) nonfiction account of the attempts to find a way to determine longitude at sea. It is primarily about John Harrison, inventor of the chronometer. There are no footnotes (intentionally by the author), but there is a two-page bibliography and four-page index.
Stardust, written by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Briony May Smith - early reviewers, children's picture book - The lovely mixed media illustrations by Briony May Smith enhance Jeanne Willis' simple story about being a star and shining in one's own unique ways.
The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick, read by Kimberly Farr - historical fiction based on the life of Clara Estby Dore, who walked from their home in Mica Creek (near Spokane), Washington to New York City in 1896 with her mother, Helga Estby, and the aftermath for Clara and Helga. In a long author's note at the end of the e-book (not in the audiobook, unfortunately), Kirkpatrick notes her sources, a primary one being Linda Lawrence Hunt's 2005 book, Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America, which was inspired by a History Day essay about the walk by Helga's great-grandson. Kirkpatrick took a different tack by focusing on Clara's story after the walk, which was fascinating.
Two family members died while Clara and Helga were gone, and the rest of the family never forgave them for being away, with Helga's husband forbidding her to ever talk or write about the trip. One daughter in particular (Ida) took it to the extreme of burning what her mother wrote (after her husband's death) at Helga's death, but a sister-in-law saved Helga's scrapbook by hiding it. Here's Helga's story in a graphic novel format. Clara moved out on her own and was rather successful, but was shunned by the rest of the family for over 20 years.
Supposedly this book is classified as Christian fiction, but thankfully Kirkpatrick keeps the religion to a minimum. Kimberly Farr does a fine job voicing Clara, the narrator, with appropriate Scandinavian accents for Helga and other characters.
That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron - historical fiction, early reviewer. Before reading this book, I didn't know a lot about former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's mother, other than the fact that she was an American and did not have a good reputation. That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron was an interesting read, as I learned more about Jeanette "Jennie" Jerome Spencer-Churchill and her possible motivations. This historical fiction novel explores her childhood (and how her little sister's death and her adored father's lifestyle likely influnced her own life) and her marriage to Lord Randolph Churchill, ending at his death in 1895. Despite her faults, I found by the end of the book that I actually rather liked and admired Jennie, and I can see how she affected the life of her famous son.
City of Jasmine by Olga Grjasnowa - realistic fiction, early reviewer - Set at first in Syria early in its civil war, this novel follows three young Syrians as they try to escape the conflict. Hammoudi is a doctor trained and newly hired in Paris who has only come home to renew his passport, but he gets trapped in the country and ends up serving as a doctor for the resistance. Amal is a wealthy young actress who participates in the protests out of curiosity (and to irritate her father), and winds up arrested. She and her boyfriend Youssef eventually flee to Europe, where they face more challenges as refugees. Olga Grjasnowa (a refugee from Azerbaijan and married to a Syrian) originally wrote this in German, but the English translation by Katy Derbyshire is excellent.
Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick, read by Kimberly Farr and Susan Denaker - about Hulda Klager of the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in southwest Washington State. Also some subplots I really don't remember, with fictitious characters meant to show Hulda's impact on others.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
Thursday, January 31, 2019
874-882 (2019 #1-9). January 2019
I mention all of this because Lewis, a former sports reporter who covered the Dallas Cowboys, has presented Wilson as the assistant principal of Brownwood High School who takes on the head coaching job when the previous head coach is killed in the war. The novel ends shortly after the team's first game - with Stephenville High School, in the town where I work. So naturally I wanted to see if any of this was true.
Supposedly Tylene coached at the high school, too, but there's no proof - the school's records were destroyed in a 1960 fire. Lewis originally intended to write a biography, but there were gaps in potential sources during the war years (no yearbook for Daniel Baker College for 1944-45, for example). And, oddly, very little coverage of this supposedly unique and newsworthy item in Texas newspapers in that era. So Lewis enrolled in a MFA writing program and turned the truths she had into fiction. I just wish it was more clear that it's more fiction than truth.
A Spark of Life by Jodi Picoult - Jodi Picoult is known for taking on newsworthy topics - suicide, school shootings, etc. - in her realistic fiction, and in this case she's also taken on a controversial one - abortion. The action occurs in one day, starting with the five o'clock hour and the pre-climatic scene - and then goes backwards, hour by hour, to eight a.m., followed by an epilogue at six p.m. The setting is Jackson, Mississippi, primarily in a women's clinic there that is the only place in the state providing abortions - although they also offer gynecological exams and birth control, which is what 15-year-old Wren McElroy is seeking. When George Goddard arrives at the clinic and starts shooting, it's Wren's negotiating-expert cop dad, Hugh, who's trying to get Wren and the other hostages released.
As the book moves back in time, the reader learns more about the backgrounds and stories of each of ten main characters: Wren, Hugh, and his sister Bex; George; Louis Ward, a traveling doctor at the clinic; nurse Izzy; patient Joy; anti-choice protestor Janice (in the clinic pretending to be a patient to obtain evidence that abortions are forced, she becomes another hostage); Olive, an older lesbian; and Beth - who has just been arrested while in a hospital three hours north in Mississippi for performing an illegal medication abortion on herself.
It's pretty easy to figure out how Beth fits into this story. While the resolutions are pretty clear for the other characters by the end of the book, I was left wondering what ultimately happens to Beth.
The meaning behind the title is not so obvious but is explained later in the book. I won't spoil that, nor another surprise in the 8 a.m. hour.
I really liked this book a lot as it presents different viewpoints on the abortion issue and makes the reader think. I re-read it in chronological order and found the book not quite as compelling as reading it in the order written. Picoult interviewed pro-life activists as well as numerous women who'd had abortions, medical professionals, abortion clinic staff, lawyers, and police hostage negotiaters. She cites various laws and cases related to abortion in different states, and also includes a three-page (in the large print version) bibliography.
Some quotes that stuck out for me (all from the large print version):
Page 78 (end of 5 p.m. hour): "We are all drowning slowly in the tide of our opinions, oblivious that we are taking on water every time we open our mouths." From the author's note at the end of the book, written in March 2018, I have to wonder if she was talking about our current illustrious president.
Page 224 (about halfway through the noon hour): "'All that legal protection you want for the unborn,' Joy said [to Janine]. 'Great, Give it to them. But only if you can find a way to not take it away from me.'"
Page 464 (near the end of the 10 a.m. hour): "Whether or not you believed a fetus was a human being, there was no question in anyone's mind that a grown woman was one. Even if you placed moral value on that fetus, you couldn't give it rights unless they were stripped away from the woman carrying it. Perhaps the question wasn't When does a fetus become a person? but When does a woman stop being one?"
Bruno's Hat, written and colorfully illustrated by Canizales, is a cute book about bullying and standing up for your friends, told from a child's point of view. A downloadable discussion and activity guide for parents and educators is available at the publisher's website.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - historical fiction - a more-or-less true story originally written as a screenplay and later converted to a novel. Lale [Eisenberg /] Sokolov, a 26-year-old Slovakian Jew, has the ability to speak multiple languages, and that gets him chosen to tattoo ID numbers on the arms of new arrivals at Auschwitz and Birkenau. This job brings with it some priveleges (more food and privacy, a better bed, etc.) and Lale's own - sorry, I have to describe it as smarminess - gets him to sweet-talk other prisoners to bring him jewels and money they find in a building sorting though prisoners' belongings (what? I find it hard the women working in the building could get away with this), which he uses to pay construction workers from the outside for more food and treats (like chocolate), some of the latter he uses to bribe the guards.
Lale falls in love with a Slovakian teenager he tattoos named Gita. I found that the giggling of her girlfriends and all the opportunities Lale and Gita have to see each other seemed unrealistic to me. I'm not sure if it was because I found Lale to be rather unlikeable, or because Morris' writing is so bad, but the story didn't grab me. Morris interviewed Lale for three years, after Gita's death in 2003 and before his in 2006. Perhaps the story was embellished by Lale over the years, perhaps age affected his memory.
On page 156-157, Lale tells Gita, "I have been given the choice of participating in the destruction of our people, and I have chosen to do so in order to survive. I can only hope I am not one day judged a perpetrator or a collaborator." Well, it probably helped that Lale and Gita moved to Australia after the war.
Also page 188: "Lale is largely immune to the camp disputes. Working with Leon and only a handful of other prisoners alongside the SS, he is removed from the plight of the thousands of starving men who must work and fight and live and die together. Living among the Romany also gives him a sense of security and belonging. He realizes he has settled into a pattern of life that is comfortable relative to the conditions of the majority. He works when he has to, spends whatever time he can steal with Gita, plays with the Romany children, and talks to their parents..." So Lale himself admits his experience was not that of the usual prisoner. I guess it bothered me to see Auschwitz portrayed as not so bad.
One reviewer said, "This book could have been set in a summer camp for all its accuracy and authenticity. Between the giggling between the campers (I mean inmates), the friendly conversations with the counselors (I mean guards), the sneaking around the bunks (I mean barracks), I had to put this book down and not finish it."
My cover had a view of the backs of a nondescript couple; I liked the cover with the tattooed arms holding hands better - even though, as it turns out, one of the tattoos is wrong (see links below).
Unbelievable book, full of inaccuracies. Yes, it says it's a novel on the cover, but it also says, "based on the powerful true story of love and survival." See:
‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ and the History in Historical Fiction, The New York Times, November 8, 2018.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz controversy: Author in clash with holocaust survivor's son over 'mistakes' in international bestseller, The Daily Mail, November 30, 2018.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz attacked as inauthentic by camp memorial centre, The Guardian, December 7, 2018.
Auschwitz researchers dismiss book about camp tattooist due to ‘factual errors’, The Jewish News, December 11, 2018.
Circe by Madeline Miller, read by Perdita Weeks - historical fiction - or is it fantasy? - based on the Greek mythological character, who was the daughter of the Titan sun god Helios, and Perse, one of the three thousand Oceanid nymphs. Her brothers were Aeëtes, keeper of the Golden Fleece, and Perses. Her sister was Pasiphaë, the wife of King Minos of Crete and mother of the Minotaur. Miller expands upon the tale of Circe in Homer's Odyssey to work in her early life, her interactions with her family and other Titans, and what happened to her after Odysseus left her island. Totally fascinating book; now I have to read Miller's Song of Achilles. Love the cover of the print book, with its reflective copper/gold image, but the image on the audiobook is quite cool too. Perdita Weeks (who plays Higgins on the Magnum P. I. reboot) was a fabulous reader - as the story is told in first person from Circe's point of view, I definitely felt she defined Circe.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - historical fiction retelling the story of Achilles, in first person from the point of view of his companion Patroclus. The novel starts with Patroclus' early life, through his boyhood with Achilles, up to the events of the Iliad (which I have never read). Miller, who has bachelor's and master's degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek, comes up with different interpretations of events and plausible reasons for Achilles' actions in the Iliad.
And there's no heel story - the author explains why here. This debut novel won the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. The cover image is of a Greek helmet, only of reflective bronze/gold.
American Duchess by Karen Harper - historical fiction, early reviewer, ARC - This is a biographical novel about Consuelo Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill Balsan. A member of the wealthy American Vanderbilt family, she was married off by her ambitious mother to the Duke of Marlborough in England in 1895. I have a hard time getting interested in the first world problems of the incredibly wealthy, although the section about the escape by Consuelo and her second husband from France during World War II was exciting. And that is where this book ends. It would be interesting to see how Consuelo's 1953 autobiography, The Glitter and the Gold, compares with this book.
Madame Flora is based on a real Seattle madam, Lou Graham, and Flora's establishment, the Tenderloin, is a building that still exists in Seattle's Pioneer Square. (More history here.) Fahn's character is based on Yamada Waka.
I like this cover with the younger couple walking and the fair in the background better than that of the copy I borrowed.
The Shadow Queen, by Sandra Gulland, read by Meredith Mitchell - historical fiction, audiobook. The title is a little misleading, as the book is not about
Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan, better known as Madame de Montespan, an official mistress of King Louis XIV of France, called by some the "true Queen of France" or the "shadow queen" because of her influence at court. Athénaïs is a character in the book, but it is really about her companion, Claude de Vin des Œillets, the daughter of two actors. The most interesting parts of the book are those depicting 17th century French theater, and it's clear that author Sandra Gulland did a lot of research on this topic. Meredith Mitchell was an adequate reader with a youthful voice, although she had a bit of a lisp that I found distracting at times.
© Amanda Pape - 2019
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