It must be me. Many, many people have rated this book very highly. It was nominated for a Top Fantasy book.
I listened to it on audiobook. It is 22 houIt must be me. Many, many people have rated this book very highly. It was nominated for a Top Fantasy book.
I listened to it on audiobook. It is 22 hours long. It didn't hold my attention and ended up in my DNF pile at about 30% of the way through it. ...more
Wow! Fiona Davis packs a spectacular punch with her historical novel, The Spectacular. It is superbly narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs and Kimberly Farr.
MWow! Fiona Davis packs a spectacular punch with her historical novel, The Spectacular. It is superbly narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs and Kimberly Farr.
Marion, a nineteen year old woman, faces her future with grit, determination, and dreams. Her father and her boyfriend want her to pursue a respectable career for women in the 1950s: secretary, nurse, or teacher. Marion loves to dance and auditions for the Rockettes and makes it.
I loved so many things about this book: * The nonfiction elements: there was a Mad Bomber in NYC who detonated over 30 bombs during a 16 year period. He set them off in Radio City Music Hall, public libraries, Grand Central Station, Port Authority, phone booths, the subway, and other locations. In the book, he's referred to as the Big Apple Bomber. * Another nonfiction element: Psychological profiling was used to help catch the Mad Bomber. * Lots of family and relationship dynamics, including a very controlling, domineering father. * The story arc, character development, and details about Rockettes are fabulous. * Marion is a spunky, determined young woman who wants a dancing career regardless of what her father and boyfriend say and do. * I learned a lot!
The story was created after a Rockette who was in her 80s reached out to Fiona Davis. She shared many details about being a Rockette in the 1950s. The Rockette's performed four shows a day which meant 600 kicks a day. They worked three to four weeks straight before getting a day off. The Rockette's performed shows between movies. If there was a western movie, they learned new dances and performed in cowgirl costumes.
At the end of the audiobook, Fiona Davis mentioned that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2020.
Casey Sherman has done a fabulous job researching and weaving the tale about Lana Turner's life and the death of Johnny Stompanato, a close associate Casey Sherman has done a fabulous job researching and weaving the tale about Lana Turner's life and the death of Johnny Stompanato, a close associate of the West Coast mob, Mickey Cohen. Lana's entire life, from childhood through adulthood, is marred with tragedy, bad relationships, domestic abuse, and misogyny. Lana's fourteen year old daughter takes the blame for stabbing Stompanato.
Fascinating story about Hollywood, actors, actresses, and the mob.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review....more
I tried to continue to the end with this 20 hour audiobook, In the Woods, but gave up at about 50%.
The premise is interesting. Three children are abdI tried to continue to the end with this 20 hour audiobook, In the Woods, but gave up at about 50%.
The premise is interesting. Three children are abducted and one survives. The survivor becomes a detective and twenty years later is investigating the murder of a 12 year old girl. The two crimes are eerily similar.
However, to get from point A to point B requires a ton of reflection, lots of unnecessary detail about friends, bars, relationships, faded memories, etc.
Holy cow! I lived in the Pacific Northwest for five years. My children live in Washington state and I have family members in Oregon and Northern CalifHoly cow! I lived in the Pacific Northwest for five years. My children live in Washington state and I have family members in Oregon and Northern California. Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America is a terrifying and necessary read.
The Ring of Fire (a necklace of volcanoes) and the 800 mile Subduction Zone that exists in the PNW is a sleeping monster that when it is awakened will create global, epic destruction. The Cascadia fault lines are eerily similar to the fault lines in Sumatra which experienced tsunami waves between 60 - 100 feet after an earthquake. A Cascadia earthquake would create tsunamis that could impact Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines. Tsunami waves travel at the bottom of the ocean between 240 - 330 miles per hour; they are like a speeding airliner.
Originally it was believed that earthquakes did not occur in subduction zones. An earthquake in Mexico City was the tipping point because it occurred in a subduction zone.
This book is well researched and contains specific scientific data and research from the 1600's to the present. Prediction of earthquakes is a dark art. It is not an exact science and unnecessary evacuations are costly. Vehicles clog up the roads, businesses and schools close, and many times it is a false alarm.
The best advice in the book: if you are on a beach and the ground shakes, run as fast as possible to higher ground. Be self-reliant and resilient. Have a personal survival and evacuation plan from various points (school, work, home). Have a plan on how/where family members will meet. Time will be of the essence.
I listened to The Maid on audiobook. Lauren Ambrose narrated it fabulously.
Molly Gray is a maid at the Regency Hotel and she loves her job. She recitI listened to The Maid on audiobook. Lauren Ambrose narrated it fabulously.
Molly Gray is a maid at the Regency Hotel and she loves her job. She recites cleaning phrases her grandmother taught her, such as "Dust we must" and "Shop, then chop." Her grandmother has passed away and Molly is struggling to pay the rent.
Things get interesting when a wealthy, prominent man, Charles Black, is found dead in his hotel room by Molly. The potential suspect list includes Mr. Black's young new wife and several hotel employees. ...more
I listened to All the Broken Places on audiobook and it is masterfully narrated by Kristin Atherton and Helen Lloyd. Both are the voices of Gretel Fernsby, the main character. Atherton narrates the younger Gretel and Lloyd narrates the current 91 year old Gretel.
Gretel is the daughter of a senior officer in the Third Reich. Gretel and her mother flee Germany after the end of World War II and assume new identities. They spend time in Paris, Sydney, and London. Gretel settles into a flat in Mayfair (London) where she lives a quiet, secluded life for decades in a complex called Winterville Court. Gretel's non-eventful life changes when new neighbors move into the flat below her flat.
The book initially progresses like a slow moving train as readers learn more about Gretel's past and present life. Then there is a hairpin turn that made me gasp and sit up straight to lean into the story. The pace accelerates like an out-of-control locomotive. The epilogue picks up the pieces of the train wreck and it left me speechless.
Boyne specializes in writing about guilt, complicity, and grief with a focus on people who knew the monsters but looked away. In the Author's Note, Boyne indicates that Elie Wiesel's book, Night, significantly influenced his interest in writing about the Holocaust.
Highly recommend!
Reread this book a second time for Book Club. Fascinating, complex character development with stories that intertwine across several generations....more
I rated Beartown three stars. One of the book clubs I belong to selected The Winners which is part of a series. The three books in the series are Beartown, The Winners, and Us Against You. I am a serious reader but I am not a series reader. So I won't be reading Us Against You.
What I liked about The Winners: * It started with a massive, destructive snowstorm that added intensity, grit, determination, and a bit of luck or unluckiness * It's two years after the Beartown story. So the characters have evolved and changed. * It's about hockey. I grew up in Colorado and I love hockey. Saw many Avalanche, Colorado College, and University of Denver hockey games.
What I didn't like about The Winners: * The repetitive, redundant, duplicative, continuous, endless, unceasing, and recurrent reminders that the two hockey towns, Hed and Beartown, hate each other. Repetition occurs on many other topics as well. * The ongoing, non-stop girlish banter between Maya and Anna. * The length. It is a 21 hour audiobook. The repetitive parts of the storyline drag down the pace of the book. The girlish banter doesn't advance the story arc. After listening for 17 hours, I put it in the DNF pile. I lost interest in how the book would end.
I encourage readers to read many of the 카지노싸이트 reviews because many readers rated The Winners highly. ...more
Heavy, a memoir by Kiese Laymon, is aptly named. His writing style is raw, poignant, heartbreaking, and so necessary. Heavy lays bare our society and Heavy, a memoir by Kiese Laymon, is aptly named. His writing style is raw, poignant, heartbreaking, and so necessary. Heavy lays bare our society and the lives of Black men in America.
Laymon was raised in Jackson, MS by a single mother who was a professor and instilled in him the love of books. His unflinching honesty about his life experiences creates a thought provoking, disturbing, hard-to-absorb portrayal of daily life. ...more
Non-fiction business books are among my most favorite genre. I love reading how companies begin, the challenging obstacles they face, the ups and downNon-fiction business books are among my most favorite genre. I love reading how companies begin, the challenging obstacles they face, the ups and downs of the economic landscape, employee/talent issues, litigation, and whether they thrive or close the doors.
My first job was at my parent's landscaping/nursery business. My second job was at Wendy's Hamburgers when it was a new concept. I also worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken and a family restaurant. I've worked in a wide range of companies.....from tech startups to Fortune 500 businesses.
I listened to this book on audiobook and was very disappointed. It felt like a recruiting ad or endorsement for In-N-Out Burger, rather than a deep in the trenches look at beginning and creating a successful business. ...more
it is incredibly rare for me to see the movie first and then read the book. A great friend recommended the movie, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, ait is incredibly rare for me to see the movie first and then read the book. A great friend recommended the movie, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and I loved it....so I listened to the book on audiobook. It is narrated by Barbara Caruso, Jeff Woodman, and Richard Ferrone.
In this rare instance, I preferred the movie to the book.
Oskar Schell's father is killed on 9/11 and Oskar carries a huge burden of a secret about that day. Oskar's father, played by Tom Hanks in the movie, challenged Oskar intellectually and Oskar believes his father left him clues. One of the clues is a key in an envelope. Oskar sets out to find the lock that the key fits in.
The subplot involves Oskar's grandmother and grandfather. In the movie, the subplot is tightly woven into the story's tapestry. In the book, the subplot detracts from the story arc and flow.
Yong takes readers and listeners on an incredible journey to explore and learn from the smallest insects (ants, ticks, mosquitoes) to the largest animal (elephants). It was fascinating to learn that ants emit different types of trail pheromones that lead ants to food sources. I had just finished reading Recipes for Love and Murder: A Tannie Maria Mystery which is based in South Africa. Police detectives paid attention to a trail of ants that led them to a pool of blood in the murder mystery.
The book describes how technology and medical advances have come from closely observing different insects and animals and using what is learned from them to enhance human lives....more
I am definitely in a nursing/doctor/surgery mode right now. The Surgeon's Daughter is about Nora, a 19th century med student who isn't taken seriouslyI am definitely in a nursing/doctor/surgery mode right now. The Surgeon's Daughter is about Nora, a 19th century med student who isn't taken seriously because she's a woman. She is capably mentored by Magdalena, a sole female doctor.
The medical details are incredible and often stopped my breath. Nora and Magdalena operate on many women in the throes of troubled labor and childbirth.
I listened to this on audiobook and it is very capably narrated by Susan Lyons.
At the same time, I was reading the book, The Women, by Kristin Hannah which is about women nurses in the Vietnam War. Many people felt women weren't allowed in 'Nam and aren't familiar with the role they played in helping to save lives.
I just started listening to the audiobook, Lady Tan's Circle of Women which is about women and Eastern medicine practices in the 1400s....more
I, Robot was published in 1950 but it reads like it is a current book, especially with the ongoing debate about artificial intelligence, AI. The core I, Robot was published in 1950 but it reads like it is a current book, especially with the ongoing debate about artificial intelligence, AI. The core controversy about AI over the many decades is whether AI will help improve humans or whether AI will replace humans....and of course, whether AI will be used for nefarious reasons.
I listened to this book on audiobook. Scott Brink does a fabulous job as narrator. The book begins with a story about a young girl and her best friend who is a robot. Her parents take away the robot after a strong two year friendship. I was captivated immediately!
My favorite Isaac Asimov quote is, "Any book worth banning is a book worth reading."...more
Kurson immediately immerses readers into national and world events in the sixties, particularly the tumultuous, divisive year of 1968. I felt like I had a front row seat to historic events in 1968: Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination in Memphis, Robert Kennedy's assassination after he had a successful campaign stop in California, the riots at the Democratic National Convention, Walter Cronkite breaking from fact reporting on Vietnam and expressing his opinion after the Tet Offensive that it appeared America wasn't winning the war, President LBJ deciding he wouldn't run for President after Cronkite's pronouncement, and the extremely close Presidential race between Richard Nixon (43.4%) and Hubert Humphrey (42.7%).
Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. This triggered the Space Race. In 1961, a young President John Kennedy dramatically expanded the U.S. space program and committed to landing a man on the moon, and returning him home safely. President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, a few weeks after the President of South Vietnam was murdered.
During incredibly challenging times in 1968, NASA was preparing to launch Apollo 8 in December. Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth and orbit the Moon ten times. The astronauts were Frank Boorman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders.
I felt like I was riding in the rocket alongside the three astronauts. Stories about bowel movements during and after the flight are interesting and something that wouldn't be discovered without extensive interviews decades after the flight. Kurson does a brilliant job describing the astronauts, their wives and families during the sixties as well as what they have done over the past four decades.
I listened to The Secrets Between Us on audiobook and Sneha Mathan narrated it superbly! Her intonation, pace, and emotion captivated me immediately.
Bhima is illiterate and has worked in other people's homes her entire life. What little she earns is to help her granddaughter, Maya, attend college. Maya's parents are dead. Bhima encounters a bitter, ragged woman with a grapefruit size growth on her throat, Parvati. The two of them strike up an unusual friendship and end up in business together.
This masterpiece weaves together challenging issues: caste, rape, prostitution, domestic abuse, drug use, poverty, homelessness, healthcare, abortion, same-sex relationships, assumptions, biases, disrespect, and cultural norms. It's a powerful reminder to reach out and get to know people rather than make assumptions. ...more
Wow! Poignant, powerful journey of Mei Ling and Kai Li, two young adults in an arranged marriage. They travel from China to San Francisco and begin a Wow! Poignant, powerful journey of Mei Ling and Kai Li, two young adults in an arranged marriage. They travel from China to San Francisco and begin a life based on lies. Mei Ling is a "paper wife" who studies and rehearses the lies she must tell the American government immigration officials when she lands on Angel Island. Kai Li's first wife died and left behind a two-year old son, Bo.
A story of struggle and survival that I highly recommend. ...more
Holy Moly!!! My favorite quote about reading is by Kevin Ansbro, "A book should grab you by the lapels and kiss you into tomorrow." The Last Green ValHoly Moly!!! My favorite quote about reading is by Kevin Ansbro, "A book should grab you by the lapels and kiss you into tomorrow." The Last Green Valley did exactly that, and then some! Highly, highly recommend!
Mark Sullivan has written more than twenty books, including bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky. I am going to add every Mark Sullivan book to my TBR. His writing is phenomenal.
Sullivan's preface hooked me immediately! After he wrote the historical novel, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, he received dozens of letters and pitches about other possible war stories. His criteria was that the story had to be moving, inspiring, and potentially transformative to him and to readers. In November 2017, while speaking at a Rotary Club event, a man came forward and shared with him the story that would become The Last Green Valley.
The preface and afterword are spellbinding. Sullivan describes in detail what is factually accurate in the book as well as the travels and research he conducted to create the story.
The book is about the Martel family who find themselves trapped between Nazi forces and Stalin's Russian Army in 1944 while farming in Ukraine. Their decisions and actions have life and death consequences. There is a continual tension between disillusionment and believing in hope and dreams.
This was a story that needed to be told and Mark Sullivan is a masterful storyteller.
Re-read this book for Book Club. Phenomenal, memorable historical fiction based on a true story. Robust character development coupled with a fast paced story arc make this a book that lives on after it has ended. ...more
I listened to Mexican Gothic on audiobook. I encourage GR readers to read many reviews on this book. It wasn't for me. I got about 50% of the way throI listened to Mexican Gothic on audiobook. I encourage GR readers to read many reviews on this book. It wasn't for me. I got about 50% of the way through it and then put it in my DNF pile. The pace was too slow for my taste....more
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