Review: Love Like That: Stories

Love Like That: Stories by Emma Duffy-Comparone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A solid collection of stories. This is her debut collection and I look forward to reading more by this author.

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Send for My by Lauren Fox

Send for Me by Lauren Fox - 5 Stars There are many WWII fiction books out there, some more interesting and well written than others. One thing I liked about this book was that the characters weren't perfect. They weren't always nice, they sometimes had unkind thoughts. Sometimes with WWII fiction, the characters are all good and somewhat one-dimensional in that respect.

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In "Grunt" Mary Roach gives you the inside story on the aspects of the military you rarely consider. She covers a wide variety of topics that impact how today's soldiers do their jobs, including sleep, hearing, clothing, diarrhea, and more. It was interesting, informative, and entertaining.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book.

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February 2016

As usual, it's been a while between posts. A year. Here are some February 2016 additions to my to-read list.

The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake will be published in April, 2016. I read a review of this book and it sounded really interesting. Thirteen-year-old Aya Shimamura and her father are repatriated to Japan after WWII. It's a different perspective on the Japanese internment camps than I've read before. It's also interesting that they were in a Canadian internment camp. I had no idea that there were internment camps in Canada. My book club recently read The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka, which ended with the Japanese women and their families being relocated to camps so that sparked an interest in reading this book.


Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach will be published in June, 2016. I've read and enjoyed a few other books by Mary Roach, most recently Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. This is my favorite type of nonfiction - informative, interesting, and entertaining. If a nonfiction book is covering the most interesting topic in the world, if the book is dull I won't want to finish. I'm not taking a college course, I'm reading a book because I'm interested and want to enjoy the experience. Mary Roach has always delivered. The focus on the military is also one of the reasons I added this book to my list. That's a topic that I enjoy reading about, both fiction and nonfiction, and am always looking for a different perspective.



Labor of Love: Why Dating is (and Always Has Been) Work by Moira Weigel will be published in May, 2016. I'll admit to having watched a season or two (or more) of the bachelor. It makes me cringe fairly often, but it's also entertaining. I think that's part of what made me add this book to my to-read shelf. A feeling of "Thank God I don't have to date right now" in the same way I'm happy there was no Facebook or Instagram when I was in college. What a nightmare! I like reading history, especially social history, and am curious about the history of dating and how it evolved into what it is today. And also the differences between dating in various cultures. I'm not sure if it delves into that. If it doesn't, maybe someone could write a book. Actually, somebody probably already has.

Recently added, late February 2015

I've added a few books to my "to read" list the past week or so. I found them in the usual places - Goodreads recommendations, Edelweiss, publisher's catalogs. I pulled out a few in a variety of genres that seem interesting.

Lock In by John Scalzi was published in August, 2014 by Tor Books. It's science fiction, which is normally not my thing. I'm branching out though after reading The Martian by Andy Weir and The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey - two of the best books I've read recently. Lock In is about what happens when a virus sweeps the planet. 95% of the population is unaffected but 1% are "locked in," fully aware but unable to interact with the outside world. Technology is developed to allow for some interaction and this ability is used for both good and bad purposes. Sounds interesting.

 

I added The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows more because of the author than the plot of the book. I really enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which Barrows co-wrote with her Aunt. When I saw that she had a new novel coming out in July, I added it to my "to read" list. The description mentions "small town charm" and "great eye for character," both of which I like in a story. Unlike Guernsey, this is not an epistolary novel, which is one of the things I really enjoyed.

 I came across Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime on Edelweiss. Available in July, 2015 from Grove Press, it was written by fiction crime writer, Val McDermid, who has learned about all facets of forensics while writing her many novels. This was the sentence that made me want to read it: "Along the way, McDermid discovers how maggots collected from a corpse can help determine one’s time of death; how a DNA trace a millionth the size of a grain of salt can be used to convict a killer; and how a team of young Argentine scientists led by a maverick American anthropologist were able to uncover the victims of a genocide." It appears to be wide-reaching and comprehensive. And a little creepy.

A week or so ago I read an article about Justine Sacco, who a year or so ago, tweeted something offensive on her way to Africa. By the time she got there, she was trending on Twitter and had been fired from her job. The article was about the rabid public shaming that takes place on social media where the shamers never face the people they're targeting, rarely have the full story, and face no consequences for what they do. The shamed are often guilty of something, but in some cases, the punishment far exceeds the crime. When I read the article, I didn't realize it was a book until I came across So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson on Goodreads. Ronson describes meeting "famous shamees, shamers, and bystanders who have been impacted." This book will be published March 31, 2015 by Riverhead Books.

Lucky Alan and Eleanor Marx

There are two books coming out the week of Feb. 23rd that have been on my radar for a while - Lucky Alan by Jonathan Lethem and Eleanor Marx: A Life by Rachel Holmes.

 Lucky Alan by Jonathan Lethem is a short story collection. This collection is described as both humorous and scintillating. I like short stories that are well written and have good, well thought out characters. This has been on my to-read list since September so I'm hoping it's worth the wait.

I first read about Eleanor Marx: A Life by Rachel Holmes on Edelweiss last July. Biographies appeal to me because I love learning about people, about their lives, their histories, their families, pretty much everything about them. I especially enjoy biographies or memoirs about strong, interesting women. The first line of this book's description, "Unrestrained by convention, lionhearted and free, Eleanor Marx (1855–98) was an exceptional woman." caught my eye and piqued my interest. She sounds as fascinating as her famous father.

New direction

I've been thinking about this blog (that nobody but me is reading) and I'm going to change things up. I already post reviews on Goodreads and also on our staff blog. It's repetitious to just add the same thing here and I'm not that great at writing reviews. What I'm going to do instead is write about books that I want to read, mainly forthcoming books. I put a lot of time into keeping up with what is coming out, both for work and personal reasons. There are always books popping up that sound really interesting and that I'm excited to add to my "to read" list. I'm not sure how I'm going to choose which books to post about. It will be a work in progress.

The People in the Photo by Helene Gestern

I love epistolary fiction, and this book did not disappoint. I came to care about the characters and wanted to find out more about the people in the photo. I thought the author did a good job developing the characters throughout the book and I found myself hoping they would discover what really happened.

4 stars

I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy

This book sucked me in from the start, and I felt that I had to keep reading to find out what happened and how it happened. I hope to never meet any of these people in real life, but they were compelling characters. A few of the situations and characters seemed a little implausible, but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. 4 stars

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Journeyman by Sean Pronger

“Journeyman” is the story of the ups and down of Sean Pronger’s hockey career. He bounced around from minor league to NHL so many times I lost count. Despite all the ups and downs, Pronger never seemed to lose the sense of humor that made this book so entertaining. Well, maybe he lost his sense of humor in Germany, but in his situation you can’t blame him. There were times when he was more serious, such as the birth of his daughter. He also discussed the effect his many career moves had on his family, as well as the effect his family had on his career decisions.

My only complaint, and it's a tiny one, is that he seems to downplay his skill throughout the book. I've never seen him play, but if you make it to the NHL, you've got to be among the best. Sometimes his description made him seem mediocre, and I'm sure that wasn't the case.

The accessible tone of this book made it read like a friend relating his experiences over a few beers. I loved it and am a little disappointed that this is the only book he’s written.

5 stars

The Opposite of Maybe, Maddie Dawson

This book followed Rosie, the main character, as she dealt with a slew of life-changing events. At times it was frustrating to see her just floating along and making big decisions almost in a cloud, or not making decisions and going along with what other people want or expect her to do. I felt that Tony did that as well - going along with what his ex-wife wanted even when it involved his son who he obviously loved. Rosie did call him out on this, not seeming to realize she often did the same thing.

Most of the characters were likeable and believable, including Rosie. I cared about what happened to her and her baby and was rooting for her to make the right decision. Soapie was one of the characters that I didn't care for. She seemed to abrasive and too dismissive of Rosie, and it sounded like that was how she had been to her all along, quick to tell her she didn't want to be saddled with raising her.

I thought this was a well written book that I wanted to keep reading because I had to find out what happened.

4 stars
 
I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

Will Not Attend, Adam Resnick

I enjoyed this collection of humorous essays about author Adam Resnick's life. They spanned his life from school-age in Pennsylvania to adulthood in New York. The stories of his childhood were amusing, but also a little sad. Maybe I'm a bad person for finding humor in his anxiety-inducing childhood, but that's definitely why he was telling those stories.

4 stars

I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

Back at blogging

I've been very lax at posting here, but I'm reading more and reviewing on Goodreads, so I thought I'd add those reviews here.

Redeployment

Redeployment by Phil Klay

This is a great story collection that left me wanting to read more by this author and more about the characters in each of the stories. At the end of almost every story I wanted to read more, find out what happened next. Even though the characters in each story had different backgrounds, specialties and experiences, each seemed real, well thought out and believable. I'm looking forward to read what Phil Klay writes next.

Rating: 5 Stars 

Five star books

This is a list of the books I've read lately that I've enjoyed the most.

Longbourn by  Jo Baker
Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
Mary & O'Neil: A Novel in Stories by Justin Cronin 
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Middle Men: Stories by Jim Gavin 
Chasing Shackleton: Re-Creating the World's Greatest Journey of Survival by Tim Jarvis
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout
I Shall be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe
One More Thing: Stories & Other Stories by B.J. Novak
The Last Girlfriend on Earth by Simon Rich
What in God's Name by Simon Rich
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 
The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel by Cathy Scott-Clark
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Letters from Skye

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

This was one of those books that was hard for me to put down. I love epistolary fiction and this book didn't disappoint. There was a moment or two when I wanted to talk the main characters out of a bad decision, but overall I liked them. This book was recommended to me because I liked The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I can see the similarities, but I liked Letters from Skye a little more. It seemed a little more realistic and I felt that I knew the characters a little better, maybe because the focus was a little narrower.

Rating: 5 Stars 

Wake: A Novel

Wake: A Novel by Anna Hope

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

This book had an interesting perspective on WWI. It was about the post-war experiences of three women of different ages and how they were dealing, or not dealing with the losses they and those around them had faced. I didn't feel connected to the characters by the end of the book. That may have had something to do with the way the chapters jumped from character to character. The book took place over five days but the flashbacks gave you a broader perspective.

Rating: 3 Stars

The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel

My posting is very erratic, and shockingly it's been 3+ years since I posted. I've been doing a LOT of reading though, and have even been reviewing some books on Goodreads. I'll share some of those here, as well as the other books I've been reading.

The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel by Cathy Scott-Clark & Adrian Levy
This was an interesting book about an event that I'm sure I heard about but don't remember at all. It's amazing what people can do in extreme situations and at the end of the book I wanted to know what happened to those who survived. The authors included many different perspectives - hotel staff, guests, the police, the terrorists themselves. 

Rating: 5 Stars

2010

I read a lot less in 2010 than I have in previous years. Here's the list:

January 2010

1. Testimony - Anita Shreve

February 2010

2. Skeletons at the feast - Chris Bohjalian

3. Name dropping -Jane Heller

4. A reliable wife - Robert Goolrick (book club)

March 2010

5. Normal people don't live like this - Dylan Landis

6. Upside down inside out - Monica McInerney

7. True colors - Kristin Hannah (book club)

April 2010

8. The year of living biblically - A.J. Jacobs

9. The office of desire - Martha Moody (book club)

10. Confessions of a serial dater - Michelle Cunnah

11. The life and soul of the party - Mike Gayle

12. The wedding diaries - Linda Francis Lee

13. True love (and other lies) - Whitney Gaskell

14. Not quite a Mom - Kirsten Sawyer

May 2010

15. LoveHampton - Sherri Rifkin

16. The department of lost and found - Allison Winn Scotch

17. Everyone is beautiful - Katherine Center (book club)

18. Straight up - Deirdre Martin

June 2010

19. Nothing but trouble - Rachel Gibson

20. Sizzling sixteen - Janet Evanovich

July 2010

21. Wedding season - Katie Fforde

22. My name is Mary Sutter - Robin Oliveira (book club)

23. I am Ozzy - Ozzy Osbourne

August 2010

24. Simply irresistible - Rachel Gibson

25. Chasing Stanley - Deirdre Martin

26. Natural born charmer - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

27. The lucky one - Nicholas Sparks (book club)

28. Daisy's back in town - Rachel Gibson

September 2010

29. Orange is the new black - Piper Kerman

October 2010

30. The lace reader - Brunonia Barry (book club)

31. Wish you were here - Mike Gayle

November 2010

32. This charming man - Marian Keyes (book club)

33. The junior officer's reading club - Patrick Hennessy

My favorites were probably Skeletons at the feast & The year of living biblically.

July 2010

Of the three books I read in July, I am Ozzy was definition the most interesting. In a sort of frightening and horrific way. Reading what his life has been like for the past 40 years, it's hard to believe he's still around. For some reason I enjoy the rock star bio. Of the three that I've read recently, I like Slash the best. I am Ozzy & The Dirt (about Motley Crue) were probably tied. Both held my interest and made me want to learn more about the people in the book.

We read My name is Mary Sutter for book club this month. It was pretty interesting although a bit slow at times. Mary was very socially awkward and didn't relate well to people, unless she was delivering their baby. It was really interesting to learn about the options that were and were not available to women at the time, and also to learn about the appalling conditions around the time of the Civil War.

1. Wedding season - Katie Fforde
2. My name is Mary Sutter - Robin Oliveira (book club)
3. I am Ozzy - Ozzy Osbourne