BOOK REVIEW: The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
My bookclub will be discussing it and hearing the author Meg Shaffer speak about her experience writing this book! Looking forward to being enlightened by both my bookish friends and the author….
A review forthcoming!
***I reserve the right to edit this review after book discussion! ***
The wording, the beauty of the writing is lyrical and creates the wonders and awe of this earth.
I admit I was at times lost in the narrative… hoping the upcoming discussion will deepen my understanding.
I can see the torment of Abel walking between two worlds… just not as clearly as I can see the love of the natural world vs the society with all the humanity and its confusion.
4/5
The Lost Bookshop was a little historical and more magical/romance. I would have preferred more historical with a dash of magic and romance.
I was most intrigued about the bookshop in London, run by Sylvia Beech. Last summer I read a book about that time of history and loved it! I was hoping for more of that…
I couldn’t help but be intrigued regarding Opaline’s story and the parallels of the two time lines.
I listened to this and will be looking for a copy of it to fall in my lap!
3.5 rounded to 5
(Subject to change-one day!)
Better Luck Next Time is what I would classify as a historical fiction with feisty humor sprinkled throughout by one of the main characters and is she a character!
In the 1930s, ladies who are well-to-do would pull up from their homes, take up residence in the state of Nevada, in Better Luck Next Time, specifically Reno for six weeks and seek a divorce. Once this period was over they were granted their divorce and would move on with their new life. A couple opened the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that sees to the needs of their female guests. There were a couple of gentlemen who were the hands/assistants whose uniforms were “cowboy attire” for the enjoyment of the ladies who were seeking to end their marriages. Their work involved transporting the women to town for needs, outings, appointments with the local attorneys. The two cowboys, Sam and Ward, were also the waiters when meals were served. They took care of the animals and various ranching responsibilities.
Now to introduce you to a couple of the ladies:
Emily - sweet, kind, her husband cheated on her, she worried about how the divorce would impact her daughter, with whom she did not have that great of a relationship, anyway. I guess I would consider her the victim of her cheating husband, who was truly unsure if she wanted to follow through with the divorce proceedings.
Nina - opposite of Emily! Nina was a repeat client of . She was everything Emily was not: flamboyant, feisty, lived on the edge, risk-taker, rule breaker. Nina was just fun to be around. She was spunky, always had a quick comeback for the other ladies who were seeking to break the bonds of marriage.
As a good story creates tension, so here you go - these two women became roomies. The owner thought it would be a good idea to pair Nina with Emily for Nina to show Emily the ropes, help her see what life could be if she would just let loose, a little. Emily became a very good student of Nina’s!
The owner of the lodge had strict rules about the ladies and the two cowboys from forming relationship of any kind, other than their normal responsibilities of chauffeuring the guests in to town, giving the ladies horseback riding lessons, etc. Well… that rule is broken, along with several others, thanks to Nina!
The feistiness of Nina provided endless scenes of hilarity. I enjoyed her character immensely… in a fictional life, I would like to be her! She pushed almost every limit women faced during this time period.
There is still a lot to learn about this threesome’s friendship: Nina, Emily and Ward.
The Authenticity Project is a clever premise that started with a simple green journal that an elderly gentleman started an entry about a part of his life. In the journal entry, Julian wrote about his life without his wife, she had been deceased for 15 years. He found it difficult to be honest with anyone about the impact this great loss had on his life. As with therapy, when you write about/discuss your troubles they seem to become less troubling. When stresses are held in, they magnify, thus making life almost impossible to get through their day. There is a note written at the beginning of the journal explaining the process. Once each entry has been written and signed, the journal is to be placed in a public place waiting for the next author.
This journal’s purpose was to travel from writer to writer hoping each person who writes will share authentically a life challenge in hopes that this will be a way of healing. Well, this little Authenticity Project stirred the writers to divulge their innermost struggles. This Project eventually united the authors within this community that day-in and day-out, passed each other with barely a smile. Each character grew in empathy and compassion for the other participants, some became a little more involved in the stories of each other. They wanted each other to live a full life of happiness and purpose.
I listened to the audio version through Libby and thoroughly enjoyed the voices of the various characters. Their concern for each other lightened my days. I pulled for how they were planning, scheming, and organizing the various “accidental” meetings and loved being a part of their intermingled lives. This group of people grew to truly care about each other. But can the scheming become intrusive? Can it disrupt lives instead of the intended purpose of “happy ever after”?
Rating: 3.5/5
The Little Prince, a classic and helps me to fulfill my goal of reading a classic a month for this year.
I have a very sweet memory of a piece of needlework that my mom gifted me many years ago. The most remembered quote in the book:
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
This is a fantastical fable differentiating children and adults. Adults lose their childlike wonderings, questions and ramblings which tends to make them uninteresting and boring. I believe that I could read this little book and peel a layer each time revealing something that resonates each time. Being my first time to read this… I remember the discussion between an adult and The Little Prince. The Prince related the questions we might ask a child about a friend would be “What color is your friend’s hair?” and “What kind of work does your friend’s dad do?” Not the interesting type of questions, “What does your friend’s voice sound like?” or “Does he collect butterflies?” I love this! When I carry my granddaughter to and from school, friends is a topic of conversation. Next time, instead of my usual boring questions, I think I will ask, “What games does he/she like best?”
This is a sweet little read, with lots of room for rich discussion. I will reread it… maybe soon! This would also be a great little book for seminaring (similar to a book discussion but stays on track, no wondering/wandering/dreaming… hmmm… the act of seminar might go against the grain… this the theme of this book), a teaching strategy that is utilized with great works.
3.5/5
BOOK REVIEW: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Perks of Being a Wallflower filled my goal of a banned book every month for 2024. Triggers: sexual content, drugs, alcohol, suicide
My childhood must have been very sheltered. I think it was due to mainly my families economic standing. My mother did not drive, so I spent a lot of time at home during my school years. I say this to explain my lack of connection with this story’s characters.
I did relate to Charlie’s inner-voice that at times overwhelmed his conscience. In adolescence we all have weird thoughts and ideas and tons of questions. These thoughts need to be shared with a trusted caring adult who will listen. Charlie was exposed to so much: death, suicide, homosexuality, sex, which created an “seen can’t unsee” mental picture along with alcohol and drugs. This exposure formed in his mind as “norms”. This is what I have heard of as “growing up” too fast. Charlie is a gifted kid, facing the conflicts of his life unprepared because of his immaturity adds to his struggles. . He befriends older high schoolers who introduce him to a much more mature way of experiencing life aka having fun. He was receiving counseling, but for naught. He was quite possibly unsure of exactly what to share. His home life was by no means perfect, but he loved his parents, older brother and sister, and they loved him, even though their arguments were numerous, which is normal. Charlie loved his friends, whom he considered to be his true friends. This is evident when he gave them very gifts that were very individualized and personal.
The book’s format was clever. Charlie’s inner most thoughts and questions about his life were posed in a letter with the greeting, “Dear friend,” who is the reader. My heart went out to Charlie. As a retired teacher, I feel I knew several “Charlie’s” over my teaching career. A teacher’s impact can make a huge difference in a child’s life. I am thankful for the teacher who recognized Charlie and “saw” him for who he was, a confused, bright child, who was trying to fit in and belong. This one teacher was his English teacher who offered him book after book to read, understanding Charlie’s level of understanding and possibly helping him make sense of life as he knew it. I LOVED this! One of the last books Charlie’s teacher gave to him was The Fountainhead… along with this advice, “Be skeptical about this one. It’s a great book. But try to be a filter, not a sponge.” Advice that Charlie quotes a couple of times as he deals with his life.
Charlie is the “Wallflower”, observing and registering life around him. A synonym of “Perks” is benefits. Were there “Perks” from being a “Wallflower”? Read this book and derive your own answer.
3.5/5
BOOK REVIEW: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich is known for her Pulitizer Prize winning book The Night Watchman, based on the life of her grandfather. Avid followers of her work know about her stories of Native Americans in the mid-northern US. My author-reader connection was sealed by my reading of The Sentence. I am a fan of Erdrich and adore two of the characters in this haunting mystery, Tookie & Pollux. Any book about a bookstore and its impact on a community in times of trial is a jewel! Intrigued? Read on…
The Sentence opens with Tookie, the main character, body-snatching for love. Tookie lived with her love and the body was her lover’s ex-lover. Little did Tookie know, two women conspired and filled a few cavities of this dead body with drugs to be taken by Tookie across state line, a federal crime. What was she thinking… she wasn’t! Tookie ended up serving seven years of sixty year sentence. While Tookie was serving this sentence a former teacher sent her a dictionary to dig through… this opened the door to reading, everything and anything she could get her hands on while incarcerated.
When she was released from jail, she landed a job as a bookseller in a bookshop in Minneapolis. From this point, the plot takes off: Tookie marries Pollux, the police officer who originally arrested her in her crime mentioned above; a “favorite” patron dies; this patron’s ghost haunts the store, especially Tookie; COVID pandemic strikes; George Floyd loses his life at the knee of a police officer; Tookie and Pollux become “grandparents” to their niece’s baby. Relationships are created, tested, and strengthened through stresses of life during this anxiety-ridden time. The humor was the seasoning for Tookie’s life, especially with Pollux. Pollux’s integral role in this book is not to be overlooked. His character was steady, loving, loyal to his Native American culture and to Tookie; his love language is cooking.
This book has been called a love letter to book nerds. There are “tons” of books spoken of throughout the story… but also know, you don’t have to keep a running list! There are lists in the back of the book!
The relationships of love and found family weave through this story. It is evident that Louise Erdrich is a product of a loving family, which is a strong theme in this beautifully written work.
BOOK REVIEW: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead… gripping, heart-wrenching, tragic, compelling, tossed with bits of humor, because otherwise, it would have not been as heartbreaking. Demon born into poverty: horrific conditions, father dead, addicted mom… talk about ACEs, Adverse Childhood Events! This kid has everything going against him! Add to these circumstances, lived with neighbors, eventually placed in foster care (with some who only took kids in for the money and/or to make the kids work for their farm or whatever), in a couple of foster homes Demon was treated worse than an unwanted wandering animal waiting for PAWS to come by and pick him up, tormented in school by the classmates, foraging through trash to get food for sustenance. How in the world would Demon make it out of the poverty and tragedy that he was born in through no fault of his own! There are enough interesting characters who come and go, some who stay, some who are there for the long haul. Humor is present at just the perfect time. I guess if there was no humor, I am not sure these characters could have made it through their circumstances. Demon Copperhead is not an easy kid to forget. He will live in my heart for a long while.
What I am most sickened about in this Pulitzer Prize winning book, is the Opiod epidemic that appears to have been planned all along for this area of the country, Appalachia. I am scratching my head over this. I believe the big pharma companies have paid some restitution. But throwing money in any amount will never be enough for the lives taken and ruined from these amazing folks who live in this most beautiful and for me, sacred, part of these United States.
BOOK REVIEW: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Happiness Falls is a mystery (missing person) and family drama. The missing person is Adam, the dad of Mia, John (20 year old twins) and Eugene (14 years old) who is diagnosed with autism and Angelman Syndrome. During Covid, Eugene and his dad go hiking every day. On this particular day, Eugene returns home without his dad. This is unsettling for Hannah, Adam’s wife, and the kids’ mom and Josh. Even more disturbing are the facts that Mia, seems not to be concerned and Eugene, the one person who could say what happened, is nonverbal. The family does not have an effective way to communicate with Eugene, the one who can tell what happened to his dad on this particular hike. To compound the urgency at hand this drama takes place during the pandemic, which becomes not only part of the setting but also a “character”.
I found Happiness Falls somewhat “tiresome” at times. Mia, being the self-proclaimed lesser of the twins, is the narrator. She is home from college due to Covid; her personality and over-compensation for being “lesser” of the twins were at times a little over the top. The family drama that ensued throughout this story includes a missing person investigation with a over-zealous officer, a compassionate attorney, Mia’s “boyfriend” from college, a therapist that Adam found worked with Eugene regarding communication strategies, which he kept from the family. The pieces of this seemingly convoluted drama are sorted and resorted until they eventually lock in place with an ending that left me wondering.
I always like to know the tie to the title… that I could not figure. Like the many parts of this book, it left me pondering.
Rating: 3.25
BOOK REVIEW: Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
Mystery murders are not my preferred genre. Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo is a book club pick, so I needed to break out of my reading bars, again. This is the third in the Silence series. My first from this particular group of Amish murder mysteries.
Kate Burkholder is the sheriff in an Amish community. Peace in this community has been shattered by the death of family members: Ma, Dat and an uncle. The sheriff is called to the Slabaugh farm as is the case when a death occurs. The deaths were ruled accidental from methane gas asphyxiation by falling into a cesspit, until the coroner does his work.
The twists and turns in this tale are surprising and shocking, even by Kate Burkholder’s standards. Kate grew up Amish, but was excommunicated for reasons that are revealed in this plot-driven mystery.
Silence is sacred to the Amish, such is the case in this work of fiction. They do not want any help from outsiders, referred to in Castillo’s work as The English. There are several cases of harassment and violence targeting this peace-loving community in which the police intend to see that this violence ends. The Amish response to anything dealing with society is SILENCE. This lack of communication is vital to the solution of this mystery. Pay attention to what is left unsaid or SILENT.
Trigger: Language (As I used to tell my kiddos I taught when they ran across “bad words”; it is authentic to the story… let it go in one ear and out the other if it bothers you.)
BOOK REVIEW:
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
WOW! The heart and mind of man can be a place of great darkness. Recently, I read David Grann’s book, The Wager; in it Grann references Joseph Conrad. The Heart of Darkness was in my TBR stack, I thought I would give it a try.
This classic, though sparse in size, weighs heavy from a psychological view of the perversion of human nature. From Dover Literature and Language Catalog (back cover of the book): “Heart of Darkness ranks as a landmark of modern fiction. It is a book no serious student of literature can afford to miss.” So, I read it and might even read it again one day. It is beautifully written. Some remarkable scenes came alive in my seeing and hearing. About halfway through the book, I checked to see if it was available via audio. It was! I listened to it while I read the words. This helped me immensely in my picturing the story in my mind.
