The History Book Club discussion
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CONNIE'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2019
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This thread is the 2019 thread.
Thank you, Bentley. It's great to see you back from your traveling.
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JANUARY1.
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Alice McDermottFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Historical fiction, Literary fiction
Rating: A
Review: Alice McDermott makes one deeply care about her characters--everyday people living in an Irish immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn. Her writing in "Someone" is exquisite and compassionate as she describes the ups and downs in the life of Marie, her brother Gabe, and their parents. Although Marie wears thick black glasses, she's very observant as a young girl seeing life in the neighborhood from the stoop of their brownstone. Later, she learns about death and how to interact with people when she works as a greeter at Fagin's Funeral Parlor. After some disappointment, Marie experiences happiness in her marriage to a warm, cheerful man. We view an ordinary life lived well as the aged Marie looks back to her youth during the Great Depression. Throughout the book there is a sense of empathy for the lonely, the challenged, and the frail. McDermott understands people and their emotions, and draws us into their lives with her lovely writing.
2.
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John VaillantFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Environment
Rating: B+
Review: The golden spruce was a tall tree venerated by the Haida, a Canadian First Nation tribe living on the Queen Charlotte Islands. The shimmering golden color was formed by a genetic mutation. This 300 year old Sitka Spruce thrived because reflected light from the water of the Yukoun River reached its inner green needles, allowing photosynthesis to occur. The book centers on Grant Hadwin chopping down this mythical tree in the dead of night in 1997. Hadwin was an expert logger who had a psychotic mystical experience which turned him to environmentalism. He was protesting the clear cut logging practices of the large logging companies which were turning the coastal areas of British Columbia into a wasteland of stumps and landslides. The golden spruce was located on land owned by a logging company. Hadwin, a fit survivalist, disappeared a few days before he was supposed to stand trial.
The book goes into the interesting culture and history of the Haida tribe, as well as their dealings with the early Western traders who decimated the otter population in the Pacific Northwest. It also tells about the history of logging in the region, including the techniques used to fell the giant trees in the old growth forests. Death was a constant companion for the loggers. The spruce in the region was especially valuable for building light flexible airplanes in World War I.
The history of the Pacific Northwest shows overuse of natural resources--otters, seals, and giant trees--for profit, not thinking about the environmental effects and future generations. Activist Grant Hadwin had an important message, but his act of eco-vandalism delivered it the wrong way. Readers interested in the environment and First Nation tribes will especially enjoy this book.
3.
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Daniel MasonFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B+
Review: Lives are forever changed in this World War I novel by Daniel Mason. Lucius, a medical student in Vienna, is sent to a hospital for the troops of Austria-Hungary in a small village in the Carpathian Mountains. Although he has been a brilliant student, he arrives at the hospital with no "hands-on" medical training. The other doctors at the field hospital have either died or deserted. The hospital, located in a church, has been run by Sister Margarete, a nurse who learned to do surgery from observing the prior doctors.
Margarete is practical and intelligent, and teaches Lucius how to treat the sick and wounded soldiers coming from the Eastern Front. She's very secretive about her past, and won't talk about the convent. A strong friendship and attraction builds up between Lucius and Margarete.
Many soldiers are brought in with psychological damage, including a soldier who is turned inward mentally and physically. Margarete's care and Lucius' decisions impact the damaged soldier's life to such an extent that all three of them are forever haunted by it.
"The Winter Soldier" shows the brutality of war, and the strength of love and camaraderie. The author is a physician who often uses graphic detail to describe wounds, infestations of lice, and the horrors of shell shock. But he is equally adept in his descriptions of the beauty of nature as they forage for food in the wilderness when their supplies run low. This is an engaging novel about caring people doing their best in a world torn apart by war.
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4.
by John Szwed (no photo)Finish date: January 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, Music
Rating: C+
Review: The book is an overview of jazz history, including the types of jazz and the most important jazz musicians. Most chapters included several sidebars with suggestions of appropriate recordings for listening. I found YouTube to be a wonderful resource . If the reader takes the time to listen to some of the musicians highlighted, they will benefit much more from their reading.
5.
by Dave Gelly (no photo)Finish date: January 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, Music
Rating: C+
Review: "Know It All Jazz" is aimed at the novice jazz listener. The book is divided into seven sections, each with its own glossary, a profile of a famous jazz musician, and seven or eight main entries. It traces the history of jazz from its African-American roots in New Orleans to the jazz of today which is often a mix of several types of music and sometimes uses technology. There are many eye-catching illustrations, mostly collages of photographs of musicians, instruments, records, sheet music, and maps with colorful graphics. Unfortunately the collages are not always labeled with the names of the musicians.
This was an enjoyable basic book about jazz. One thing that annoyed me were the sidebars titled "3 second riff" and "3-second biographies" (3 musicians in 3 seconds). They seemed to be encouraging people to speed-read through the book instead of reading nonfiction at a pace where they might retain some information.
6.
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Kristin HannahFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A-
Review: "In Alaska you can make one mistake. The second one will probably kill you."
Ernt Allbright, a Vietnam War veteran, had spent several years in a POW camp before returning home as a changed man. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and paranoia. When he inherits a cabin in Alaska from a war buddy that didn't make it home, he decides to move his family to Alaska for a fresh start. Teenager Leni, her mother Cora, and Ernt travel north in a VW bus to find a neglected cabin with no electricity and running water. They are fortunate to have good neighbors to teach them the survival skills needed to get through an Alaskan winter. But the eighteen hours of winter darkness aggravates Ernt's mental health problems. Cora and Leni tiptoe around him because they fear his violence. But Cora always forgives Ernt since they share a passionate love.
The bright spot in Leni's life is Matthew, and they fall for each other in a teenaged Romeo and Juliet type of romance. Leni is torn between her love for her parents, and the wish to escape from her domineering father. The book builds up in suspense as Ernt's behavior becomes more erratic and dangerous.
"The Great Alone" is populated with characters the reader will care about. Kristin Hannah writes great descriptions of the beauty of Alaska, and the hard life during the Alaskan winters. She's an author whose writing seems to get better with every new book.
7.
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Delia OwensFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nature
Rating: B
Review: How do you trust when you've been abandoned over and over again? Kya's mother left her abusive husband when Kya was only six. Then, one by one, her siblings left. When Kya was ten, her father had turned to the bottle again and walked out the door of their shack. She learned to survive by living off the land in a coastal marsh in North Carolina. Kya sold mussels to earn a little cash for food she could not forage. She was intelligent and observant, but as frightened as a deer when she encountered strangers. She learned lessons about life from observing the actions of wildlife. Two local boys were drawn to teenage Kya at various times in the book, but they disappointed her too.
Chapters starting in 1952 tell the story of Kya as she goes through childhood and becomes a young adult. Alternating chapters begin in 1969, the year when the former football star, Chase Andrews, is found dead underneath a fire tower. Kya is investigated concerning his death. The two timelines converged at the trial for Chase's murder.
The book is a coming-of-age story, a love story, and a murder mystery with a trial. The marsh is one of the most important characters with naturalist/author Delia Owen's gorgeous descriptions bringing it to life. I did have to suspend disbelief that Kya could manage as well as she did when she was young with so little support. Owen's writing touched me emotionally as a mother. Parts of the book were heartbreaking as I imagined how lonely the young girl must have felt, and how much she needed to be loved. While I didn't really expect the ending, it made sense with its ties into the world of nature. I would especially recommend this book to readers who enjoy exquisite nature writing, and character-based stories.
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8.
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Ingrid Fetell LeeFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, Design, Nature, Self-Help, Psychology
Rating: B+
Review: Designer Ingrid Fetell Lee shows how our physical surroundings can be modified to make us feel more joyful. She has found ten aesthetics of joy: Energy, Abundance, Freedom, Harmony, Play, Surprise, Transcendence, Magic, Celebration, and Renewal. She often uses psychological studies to back up her observations. For example, Energy includes vibrant color and light. Studies have shown that school children learned more when their drab tan schoolrooms were painted bright, cheerful colors.
Play includes circles, spheres, and bubbly forms. Curved surfaces give a room a warmer feel than rectangular shapes. Freedom deals with nature and open space. We can bring nature into our homes with plants. Urban areas can create public green spaces which improve the quality of life, reducing violence.
Lee gives many examples for each of her ten aesthetics of joy. Some of them involve industrial or public places. Other suggestions are ideas we can use at home or in planning vacations. For Celebration, she discusses how dancing and music connect people. She also mentions large shiny helium balloons which I love, and confetti which I personally would avoid since I wouldn't feel joyful cleaning it up.
While not everyone can afford to travel to Ireland, as the author did, to experience the green spring renewal, most of us can visit a beautiful park near home to enjoy nature. Almost everyone could find something in this book that will awaken their senses and put a smile on their face. It's a good reminder to take some time to brighten our day with a colorful scarf (Energy), see the cherry blossoms this spring (Renewal), check out the view from a Ferris wheel or fire tower (Transcendence), and enjoy the fireflies in summer (Magic).
9.
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Patricia HighsmithFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Thriller
Rating: B+
Review: Tom Ripley had been orphaned as a child and was not happy in his lower class life. He felt like a "nobody", but wanted to be a "somebody" like his wealthy friend living on the Italian coast. The manipulative con man found a way to make that happen. This is a great classic psychological thriller!
10.
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Lewis NordanFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Fiction, Interconnected Stories
Rating: B
Review: "Music of the Swamp" is a gritty look at the childhood of a boy living in the Mississippi Delta. Sugar Mecklin lives in a dysfunctional family, but his greatest hope is to be loved by his alcoholic father. Sugar is a sweet eleven-year-old kid trying to figure out life. The book is composed of interconnected stories with some unforgettable eccentric characters. Many are physically or psychologically damaged people dealing with poverty, alcohol, and bad luck. A dose of Lewis Nordan's humor, along with a sprinkle of magical realism and good writing, helps show the crazy, funny side of some tough situations in this sleepy Mississippi town.
11.
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Maya AngelouFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Poetry
Rating: B
Review: The poems in Maya Angelou's collection, "Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer", were associated with important public and private events. Most of the works have a message of peace and healing, and encourage an atmosphere where all people are treated as equals. Other poems celebrate particular individuals such as the birthday poem, "Continue", for Oprah Winfrey. Angelou was also an accomplished speaker so it's no surprise that she was asked to read her poems at important events.
Angelou read "On the Pulse of Morning" at the 1993 inauguration of President Clinton. She was a spokesperson for African-Americans in her poem, "A Black Woman Speaks to Black Manhood", which she read at the Million Man March in 1995.
For the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, Angelou's "A Brave and Startling Truth" is dedicated to the hope for peace and "A climate where every man and every woman/ Can live freely without sanctimonious piety/ Without crippling fear".
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12.
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Susan HillFinish date: January 2019
Genre: Memoir, Book about books
Rating: B
Review: Susan Hill was looking for "Howards End" in her cozy farmhouse filled with unorganized bookshelves. As she searched, she came across many unread books, as well as well as some old favorites that she would love to reread. She decided to spend a year reading only books in her possession (with the exception of library academic books and books sent for her to review).
She takes us on a delightful journey through her her books as she describes her old wooden farmhouse. Bookshelves fill every room, although she avoids the books belonging to SP or "Shakespeare Professor" Stanley Wells, her husband. She has anecdotes about books she read at school, authors she interviewed on her radio show, and others she met at parties. Hill is a well-known author herself, and had written thirty-seven books when this book was published. She is also a publisher so she appreciates fine paper, attractive fonts, and the feel of a paper book in her hands.
She writes about her books with the warmth that one feels on seeing an old friend again. Hill has a fondness for classic books and British authors, especially some of the 20th Century writers. She discussed some authors in individual chapters with Virginia Wolfe as a favorite author.
I enjoyed "Howards End is on the Landing" and found a few books to add to my reading list. There is a list of forty books which she decided to read during the year. They are not described as the best forty books ever written, just the forty treasured books that were calling to her to be read at this time. This is a charming memoir using books as a focus since Hill's life has revolved around books--as an author, an interviewer, a reviewer, and a publisher.
13.
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Kent Haruf Finish date: January 2019
Genre: Literary fiction
Rating: A
Review: Kent Haruf again captures the feeling of life in the small fictional ranching town of Holt, Colorado using his beautiful, spare language. "Eventide" is the second book in his "Plainsong" series. Two old ranchers, Raymond and Harold McPheron, act as surrogate parents to an unwed mother and her toddler. A mentally challenged couple risk losing their children while their kind social worker tries to help them. An orphaned boy provides care for his elderly grandfather. A woman with two daughters is abandoned by her husband, and has to find a way to provide for her family.
The book is about separations and loss, but also about helpful, caring people helping others with compassion. Like life itself, "Eventide" may bring on a few tears, but the story will also make you smile.
FEBRUARY14.
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Julia GlassFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Literary fiction
Rating: C
Review: Tonasina Daulair was watching her younger brother in the neighborhood park when she noticed Morty Lear sketching her exuberant brother. He was the author/illustrator of children's books. Years later, Morty later gave Tomasina a job as his live-in assistant. She did not have much of a life of her own since she devoted her time to managing his life, even helping to nurse his gay lover as he died.
Morty experienced a fatal fall from the roof of his Connecticut home. Tomasina was surprised to inherit his home, and be appointed his literary executor in his new will. Morty had gone back on a promise to Meredith Galarz to give his illustrations to her museum, and decided to fund a charity instead. To complicate matters more, a film was being made of Morty's life and actor Nick Greene came to visit to discuss some traumatic events from Morty's boyhood. Tomasina found that she did not know Morty as well as she thought in spite of spending decades with him.
Each of these four characters had a complex back story with problems involving many family members and acquaintances. The flashbacks even went into the deaths of four parents. Although "The House Among the Trees" was about relationships, it felt like the story was going in too many directions with an overabundance of characters.
I enjoyed the charming descriptions of Morty Lear's books. Author Julia Glass is also an artist so she depicted the work of a children's author well. The characters' relationships with Morty, their complicated pasts, and their career demands all helped mold them into the people they became. Julia Glass' writing is good, but the story is weighed down by far too many flashbacks involving minor characters.
15.
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Celeste NgFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Rating: B
Review: "Little Fires Everywhere" is a novel about relationships, especially between mothers and daughters. The Richardsons live in Shaker Heights, an affluent planned community in Ohio. Artist Mia Warren and her teenage daughter Pearl have been moving several times a year so that Mia can get fresh ideas at every new location. They rent a small home from the Richardsons, hoping to finally put down roots in Shaker Heights. Pearl loves hanging out with the four Richardson teens since it fills her need for siblings and close friends. The youngest Richardson daughter spends time with Mia who is more accepting than her rigid mother. Mrs Richardson, a reporter, wonders what secrets Mia might be holding about her past.
Early motherhood is explored in several events in the book. A high school girl has to make a difficult decision when she finds she is pregnant. A poor young woman is offered money to carry the baby of an infertile couple. A wealthy couple wants to adopt an abandoned baby girl, but her Chinese birth mother wants her back now that she is in better circumstances financially. A court case questions whether it is better for a baby to be with their poor birth mother, or with a family of privilege.
Characters are linked by several relationships so the reader can see the strengths and flaws of each person in several situations. The book builds slowly, but it all comes together in the second half. Being an upper class family in a beautiful town is no shield against life's problems.
16.
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Scott KellyFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Space, 카지노싸이트
Rating: A
Review: Astronaut Scott Kelly wrote a stellar memoir about his year in the International Space Station. He also tells about his adventurous childhood, and his years of training to become an engineer, a fighter pilot, and a test pilot. Both Scott and his twin brother, Mark, were selected to be astronauts and they each completed four spaceflights.
Scott appreciates the cooperation and genuine friendships that developed among the astronauts from the US, Russia, and other countries. He's in awe of the beauty he sees looking at the earth from the windows of the space station. He also realizes that he's missing special times with the people he loves back home when he's up in space, and how hard it is for his family. The astronauts exhibit amazing intelligence, and calmness under pressure where one false step can sometimes lead to death. Scott and Mark are involved in a medical twin study to see if Scott's year in space has long-term effects on his health.
Scott has a good sense of humor, and is a wonderful storyteller. This memoir is highly recommended, especially for readers interested in space and science.
17.
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Edith WhartonFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Fiction, Classic
Rating: B
Review: "New Year's Day" is the last of four novellas in Edith Wharton's collection "Old New York". Set in 1870s New York City, it shows the predicament of Lizzie Hazeldean, a young woman in high society who has no way of earning her own money. Her husband is weak with a heart condition. Lizzie is seen coming out of a hotel on New Year's Day, and society matrons start to talk about her. Lizzie's story is scandalous and sad, but it is also filled with a great love. Edith Wharton is known for her writings about women making difficult decisions while dealing with the unwritten laws of high society.
18.
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Sébastien JaprisotFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Historical fiction, World War I
Rating: B
Review: The French trenches on the Western Front during World War I were muddy, cold, and infested with lice and rats. The men lived in constant danger, and saw their good friends die by their sides. Some soldiers suffered "shell shock", some deserted, some committed suicide, and others wounded themselves to get away from this hell on earth. The book opens as five soldiers, who have allegedly shot themselves in the hand, walk through the mud to the Front. Their punishment is to be brought to the area between the French trenches and the enemy trenches where probable death awaits them.
Mathilde, the fiancee of Manech, has been told by officials that he died on the battlefield. But she receives a letter from a dying soldier who tells her that Manech was one of the five soldiers with the self-inflicted wounds. The soldier thinks that one or more of them may still be alive. Mathilde is in a wheelchair but she has an intelligent mind, a strong spirit, and a deep love for Manech. With the help of her wealthy father, her chauffeur, and a detective, Mathilde contacts the families of the other four men, as well as other soldiers, to get more information. She receives conflicting accounts of their final days, so we don't know if Manech and the other four men survived until the end of the book. Mathilde's contacts show us the terrible effects of the war on the civilian population as well as the military.
The novel is a mystery, a World War I story, and a love story as it flashes back to Manech's and Mathilde's relationship. The book can be a little confusing at first since the characters are called by several names, so it helps to jot down their nicknames and professions. For example, Jean Etchervery is Manech, Cornflower, and the fisherman. Throughout the book there is a great warmth and respect displayed by the living soldiers toward their fallen comrades and the widows who are dealing with so much pain.
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Lorna wrote: "Connie, a beautiful review."Thank you, Lorna.
19.
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James BaldwinFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Essays
Rating: B
Review: "God gave Noah the rainbow sign
No more water but fire next time"
--from the African-American spiritual "Mary Don't You Weep"
In 1963 James Baldwin wrote two essays (in the form of letters) discussing the sad state of racial relations one hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The first was a letter to his teenage nephew about the history of race and injustice in America. The second, "Down at the Cross--Letter from a Region of My Mind", is about the role religion plays in racial relations. Baldwin draws upon his own experiences as a young Christian preacher as well as from conversations with Black Muslims. This powerful, eloquent classic was written before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The country still has a long road ahead in the fight against racial injustice.
20.
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Lisa WingateFinish date: February2019
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A
Review: The Tennessee Children's Home Society owned actual orphanages run by Georgia Tann who kidnapped or removed children from poor families. Sometimes poor mothers were asked to sign papers while they were still coming out of sedation following a birth, or they were told that their live baby was a stillborn. These children were sold to wealthy families, with children with especially prized features like blond hair bringing in large amounts of money to Tann. She often arranged adoptions to people in law enforcement positions so her orphanages were not investigated.
"Before We Were Yours" tells two alternating stories that eventually intersect. In 1939 Memphis twelve-year-old Rill is trying to keep her brother and sisters together after they were kidnapped from their shantyboat on the river. Their parents were at the hospital for the birth of their next child. The children were brought to abusive caretakers at the orphanage. The second story, set in the present, involves a woman from a wealthy political family looking into her heritage while she also thinks about the direction her life is headed. She found that her grandmother has mysterious secrets from her past. I enjoyed both of the stories, but found the 1939 tale about Rill and her siblings especially compelling.
The author created characters that were a composite of some actual children who were kidnapped and sold by Georgia Tann. I felt both heartbroken for the children and their families, and upset that the political system had overlooked the abuse. This is a book that book groups and lovers of historical fiction will not want to miss.
21.
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Diana GabaldonFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy/Time-Travel
Rating: B
Review: Claire Randall had been working as a combat nurse during World War II. In 1945, soon after the war ended, she and her husband travel to Scotland on a second honeymoon. As Claire is exploring in the circle of massive standing stones on the hill of Craigh na Dun, she touches a stone and falls back in time to 1743.
"Outlander" is full of intrigue and adventure. Claire pretends to be an English widow traveling to France. A handsome Highlander, Jamie Fraser, acts as her protector. Claire has many opportunities to use her medical skills and knowledge of herbs to heal people, including Jamie. Although she is already married in her 20th Century life, Claire also feels a strong attraction to Jamie. Their passionate bond deepens into a strong, loyal love. The two main characters are likable, intelligent, and humorous.
The plot also includes clashes between the clans, and many violent encounters between the Scots and the Redcoats, including the sadistic Captain "Black Jack" Randall. The Jacobites are organizing and collecting funds in support of the exiled Stuarts. From her knowledge of history, time-traveler Claire knows that Scotland will experience even more violence soon. "Outlander" will appeal to a broad group of readers because the book can fit into numerous genres--historical fiction, romance, adventure, and fantasy/time-travel.
22.
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Susanna KearsleyFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: C+
Review: Two French prisoners of war have been billeted with the Wilde family on a Long Island farm until a prisoner exchange can be arranged. It's 1759 when the English and their North American colonists are at war with the French and the colonists of New France (Canada) during the French and Indian War (Seven Years War). The colonial family is apprehensive since one son was injured and daughter Lydia's fiance was killed in a battle with the French. Although POW Jean-Philippe de Sabran is initially unable to speak English, the soldier gets to know the Wilde family when he helps them with chores around the farm. He and Lydia notice each other, and their feelings slowly come to the surface. Slavery, boat building, pirates, and trading by merchants in the 18th Century are all important to the plot.
There is a second story set in the present day featuring Charley, the new curator at the Wilde Museum. She is involved with the museum renovations, dealing with a board of directors, and learning the history of the Wildes. She is investigating the legend of the outcome of Jean-Philippe and Lydia's romance, and reports of a ghost carrying a lantern in the woods. Family problems and a romance also occupy her time.
"Bellewether" has a slow start with a lot of background material, especially in the present day museum. I found the historical time period more interesting as it alternated between Lydia's and Jean-Philippe's points of view. I haven't read much historical fiction set during the French and Indian War so I'm glad to have read "Bellewether". Once I got through the slow beginning, I enjoyed this historical novel touched by romance and the supernatural.
23.
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Bob DylanFinish date: February 2019
Genre: Memoir, Music
Rating: B
Review: Bob Dylan takes us from his boyhood in northern Minnesota to his start as a folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961. His biggest influence was Woody Guthrie, and he had a great mentor in Dave Van Ronk who got him started at the Gaslight, a folk club. Dylan read widely and listened to the folk greats, especially the storytellers, in his quest to become a singer/songwriter. He spent his first months in New York sleeping on the couches of generous friends. It was an exciting day when he was signed by Columbia Records.
Dylan also writes about a couple other points in his career, but they are not about his most popular albums. He tells about the frustrations involved in making "New Morning" in 1970, and recording "Oh Mercy" in 1989.
In the 1970s, Dylan wanted privacy and time with his family. Some people considered him to be "the voice of a generation" and wouldn't leave him alone, running through his yard and tramping on his roof. He had to move several times to protect his wife and five children.
Dylan does a lot of name dropping of musicians, songs, authors, and historical events that influenced him, so the book might be more appreciated by readers who have lived through the Dylan era. One has to remember that Dylan is a great storyteller in his songwriting, and take some of his stories in the book with a grain of salt. "Chronicles, Volume One" is an entertaining memoir that shows Dylan at some important high and low points in his life.
MARCH24.
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Stef PenneyFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Historical fiction, Mystery, Adventure
Rating: B+
Review: In a small Canadian town by the Georgian Bay, Mrs Ross finds the body of her murdered neighbor, trapper and fur trader Laurent Jammet. Her adopted 17 year old son is also missing, and there are several sets of footprints heading north. The Hudson Bay Company sends their men to investigate several suspects. Mrs Ross sets off with a half-Indian guide, William Parker, to find her son.
The book is full of atmospheric details so the reader can feel for the 1867 immigrant and Indian characters as they deal with the cold, the exhausting travel by foot, and the fear of the howling wolves in the wilderness. There are several other murder suspects, including a man who wants an Indian archeological find owned by Jammet. In addition to being a historical mystery, "The Tenderness of Wolves" is also about love in its many forms and a riveting adventure tale. Author Stef Penney, a screenwriter, won the Costa Book Award in 2006.
25.
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Kate AlcottFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Historical fiction, Romance
Rating: C+
Review: "A Touch of Stardust" takes us to the Hollywood sets of the spectacular movie "Gone with the Wind". A fictional character, Julie, is hoping to break into screenwriting. She gets a behind-the-scenes look at movie making when actress Carole Lombard hires her as an assistant. The lively, outspoken Carole is romantically involved with actor Clark Gable (who plays the unforgettable Rhett Butler).
Producer David O. Selznick keeps tight control over the production of "Gone with the Wind", and Julie's boyfriend, Andy, works long hours for the demanding producer. Meanwhile, war is brewing in 1939 Europe, and Americans are worried that the United States will be pulled into the battle. Andy fears for his Jewish family members living in Europe. One sees the contrast between the glamour of Hollywood, and the reality of prejudice and war.
The book was a bit unrealistic in portraying Julie spending so much time on the "Gone with the Wind" sets when she was supposed to be first working for Carole Lombard, and later writing screenplays. The making of the movie was fascinating from the scenes of the burning of Atlanta to the meeting with Margaret Mitchell, the author of the famous book, at the movie's premier showing. The romances of Scarlett and Rhett on-screen, and Carole Lombard and Clark Gable in real life are legendary. I found this to be a light, enjoyable book which brought back good memories of reading "Gone with the Wind" and watching the movie years ago.
26.
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Marie BenedictFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: Hedy Lamarr had an amazing life, and was much more than a beautiful actress. She lived with her Jewish family in Vienna when Hitler was threatening to invade Austria. She married an older, wealthy man, Fritz Mandl, who manufactured munitions. During her marriage she overheard conversations between military and political leaders from Austria, Germany, and Italy. They were unguarded in some of their conversations because they only saw her stunning beauty, and didn't realize she also had a brilliant mind. Hedy escaped from her controlling husband before the Nazis invaded Austria, and eventually came to Hollywood. In addition to acting, Hedy invented the concept of a torpedo steering system (using frequency hopping) with the help of George Antheil. She also supported the cause of the Allies by selling millions of dollars of war bonds.
This work of historical fiction is a fascinating look at a talented woman who had both beauty and intelligence. It also showed the plight of the Jewish Austrians who were targeted by Hitler, and Hedy's survivor guilt that she could not do more to help. "The Only Woman in the Room" covers a ten year period in Hedy Lamarr's life. I wished it had been longer to find out more about this interesting woman.
27.
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Ann HoodFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Memoir, Books about Books
Rating: B-
Review: Ann Hood grew up in a big Italian family in the Rhode Island mill town of West Warwick. While there were not many books around their home, her large extended family entertained each other with storytelling.
"Morningstar: Growing Up With Books" is a memoir that uses books to tell the story of her early life. Hood was an early reader, and was taking adult books out of the library as a ten year old. She learned about emotions, war, sex, other cultures, and the world through fictional books. Although other books are mentioned, she concentrates on the ten books that were especially meaningful to her. This book did not have the "warm conversation over tea" feeling that I enjoyed in some "books about books". But I remember the same historical events, and I had read many of her favorite books so it was a fun trip down memory lane.
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by Marie BenedictFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: Hed..."
Connie, what a wonderful review of this talented woman. I recently read a book about Lamarr's inventions and was blown away. I'm not sure if you are reading these books for Women's History Month but what great selections.
Lorna wrote: "Connie wrote: "26. by Marie BenedictFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating..."
Thank you, Lorna. My library is having a Hedy Lamarr month and I read this for my book club. We also saw the movie "Bombshell", a documentary which was very well done, which you might enjoy. We also have a Hedy impersonator putting on a program. I consider myself so lucky to have such wonderful programming at the library.
28.
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Hisham MatarFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction
Rating: B+
Review: After over thirty years in exile, Hisham Matar returned to Libya in his long quest to find out what happened to his father, Jaballa Matar. His father was a resistance leader during the time when Muammar Qaddafi was Libya's totalitarian leader. The Matar family was living in exile in Cairo when Jaballa was kidnapped in 1990, and thrown in the Abu Salim prison in Tripoli. Except for three letters smuggled out of the prison, his family never heard from Jaballa again. He may have perished in the massacre in the prison in 1996, but the family has no proof after contacting authorities for many years.
The book is a memoir, written in sensitive lyrical prose, about Hisham's trip back to Libya in 2012. Visits with his extended family and seeing familiar locations prompt memories of his father, his childhood, the war, and politics. The book is also about his feelings of identity as a fatherless son, and as a man without a home who is caught between the Libyan culture and his Western life in London. Other family members have also suffered such as several uncles who were imprisoned for over twenty years, and a cousin who died in the revolution. There is less about politics than I expected, and more about the emotional feelings of love and loss of both his father and his country. This memoir is beautifully written and emotionally moving.
29.
by Julie Yip-Williams (no photo)Finish date: March 2018
Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction, Health/Medicine, Death
Rating: B-
Review: Julie Yip-William's early life involved a series of miracles. She was born in Vietnam with congenital cataracts causing blindness, and the surgeons had fled the country at the end of the Vietnam War. Her grandmother wanted the disabled girl to be given a lethal poison, but the herbalist refused. Then her family escaped to Hong Kong on an overloaded, leaky boat. They eventually came to the United States where she had surgery on her eyes. She was still legally blind, but could read with a magnifying glass. Julie was resilient and extremely intelligent, going on to graduate from Harvard Law School and traveling to seven continents. She met her husband while working at a prestigious New York law firm, and they had two young daughters.
Julie faced her largest challenge in life when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at age 37. Life became five years of hopes and disappointments, doctors visits, scans, side effects from chemo, precious time with her family, and rage that life was so unfair. She loved her husband and daughters, and tried to spend quality time with them. Julie put plans into place so that her daughters would have caregivers and mentors to help them when she died.
Her two young daughters watched videos of fatal airline crashes, and nature documentaries showing animals hunting their prey in the wild. This is on top of seeing their mother dealing with episodes of pain, depression, and rage for five years, starting when the sisters were toddlers. I often felt it overloaded their young minds with so much emphasis on death. I hope readers will check with professionals about the best way to help children through the difficult journey.
The writing in this book is full of emotion and emphasizes living with joy, although she is honest about times of pain and depression. The book was made from Julie's blog posts so there was quite a bit of repetition, especially as she told about her early life. It would have been a better book if it had been edited down more. I would recommend this book to people who are close to someone going through cancer treatments. Julie was not afraid to honestly put all her feelings out there, and she exhibited amazing courage.
30.
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William ShakespeareFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Play, Tragedy
Rating: A
Review: Prince Hamlet of Denmark is visited by his father's ghost who instructs him to take revenge for his murder by the hand of Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. Claudius took the throne and married Hamlet's mother. The play is brilliant in that we don't know if Hamlet is mad--or pretending to be mad--as he discovers the truth and plans his revenge. Both Hamlet's actions and Claudius' plans set off a series of tragic events in a domino effect.
The play features beautiful soliloquies, punchy phrases, and humorous plays on words. The sad events are broken up by occasional amusing scenes with the actors using double meanings or riddles. Corruption, passion, deception, insanity, and revenge can still resonate with people four hundred years after Shakespeare wrote the tragic play. People are still trying to figure out the multi-faceted, tortured character of Hamlet. It's a fabulous classic!
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Auður Ava ÓlafsdóttirFinish date: March 2018
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Rating: B
Review: Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir won the Icelandic Literary Prize for Fiction for this short novel. It's a strange book--but in a good way--about Jonas who loses his will to live after some family problems surface. He contemplates suicide, but he does not want his daughter to discover his body. He decides to take a vacation to an unnamed country (probably in the Balkans) damaged by recent wars and littered with landmines.
Handy with tools, Jonas finds a sense of purpose helping people who have been through so much suffering. He is forming connections that open him up to life again. Written in spare prose and sprinkled with poetic quotations, "Hotel Silence" shows the quiet satisfaction one gets from being needed and living with meaning.
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Bentley wrote: "Very good progress Connie"Thank you, Bentley.
32.
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Louise GlückFinish date: March 2019
Genre: Poetry
Rating: B
Review: Pulitzer Prize winner, "The Wild Iris", is a collection of 54 poems telling about changes in a garden. The poems are written in the voices of individual flowers, the poet-gardener, and the God of the garden. Themes of transformation, suffering, death, and rebirth are present in the poems. The flowers die in the autumn and are reborn in the spring, while the poet-gardener can be emotionally and spiritually reborn. God's voice comes in poems about the seasons, light and darkness, and water and dryness. These elements lead to transformations--physical, emotional, and spiritual. Changes--time, aging, loss, our choices--can lead to feelings of despair, but also to new beginnings.
APRIL33.
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Ruth WareFinish date: April 2019
Genre: Psychological suspense, Mystery
Rating: C+
Review: "In a Dark, Dark Wood" opens with twenty-six year old Leonora Shaw in a hospital bed with a traumatic head injury, memory loss, and contusions. She fearfully notices the police officer guarding the room, and wonders what she has forgotten.
Leonora, a reclusive writer, had been invited to a hen do (bachelorette party) for a friend that she had not contacted for ten years. It was held in a glass house in a remote part of a forest in Northumberland. The house is almost another character with the guests feeling like they are actors with the trees looking in. The cell reception is almost nonexistent.
The first part of the psychological mystery introduces the guests at the party, and sets up conflicts among them. Memories from their high school years add to the unsettled atmosphere. I really didn't trust any of them with their "mean girl" psychological games. Most of the second half of the story involves Leonora regaining her memory. As a suspect in a crime, she needs to figure things out quickly before the police arrest her. Although I guessed who was responsible for the crime, the book was entertaining as the mystery was revealed, layer by layer.
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Ruth WareFinish date: April 2019
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Suspense
Rating: B
Review: Ruth Ware has written another suspenseful, contemporary mystery in The Death of Mrs. Westaway. Harriet Westaway was working on the Brighton Pier as a tarot card reader. She didn't have the money to pay the rent, and loan sharks were threatening her. She was surprised to receive a letter saying that her grandmother had died, leaving her an inheritance. Harriet thought the letter was probably sent to the wrong person, but she was in desperate circumstances so she headed to the funeral in Cornwall. She was hoping the skills she used in "cold-reading" her clients as a tarot card reader would help her with the scam.
She found the dysfunctional Westaways were hiding dark family secrets. The atmosphere in their crumbling family mansion was dangerous and gothic. Black magpies and a scary housekeeper added to the atmosphere. The deceased Mrs Westaway was a mean woman trying to stir up trouble from her grave with her bequests. Harriet wondered who she could trust as she unraveled the family's history. The book has a spunky, likable protagonist, and the tarot card readings added interest to the story. I would recommend it to fans of psychological suspense novels.
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The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
A Well-Behaved Woman (other topics)The Military Philosophers (other topics)
The House Girl (other topics)
The Music Lesson (other topics)
The Red Address Book (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Therese Anne Fowler (other topics)Anthony Powell (other topics)
Tara Conklin (other topics)
Katharine Weber (other topics)
Sofia Lundberg (other topics)
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