Book Blog #356: A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

 

Title: A Crane Among Wolves

Author: June Hur

# of Pages: 363 (ebook)

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: 1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings. Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

Review: Despite my better judgement, I HAD to give this book 4 stars instead of 3.

There were several components not working in its favor - there's POV switching (Inseul in first person, Daehyun in third person), and some keywords in Korean were not translated or explained to the reader. As is sometimes characteristic of YA books, the protagonist quickly (but unrealistically) befriends others critical to her journey. While this kept the story relatively compact and fast paced, I wasn't able to develop that deeper connection with these characters through the protagonist's experiences in this format, and it made reading the first half of the book slower than I would've liked.

My expectations were also completely off; based on the cover, I thought it would be a hot, romance-forward historical fiction, but instead I got a historical fiction forward story laced with mystery and a splash of romance. But it was actually a very pleasant surprise; the restraint and tension in the romance component actually made it more addicting and shows you don't have to be in your reader's face with the passionate and the sex to write a good love story (cough cough The Fourth Wing cough cough).

I stayed up late last night reading the latter half of the book because of the mystery aspect. Even though there were a lot of obvious hints along the way for readers to guess WHAT will unfold, what kept me turning the pages was wanting to know HOW it would unfold and how the characters were impacted by these changes. What I really respected and admired too was how Hur tried to stay as true to being historically accurate as possible, which made the atrocities committed by the king land even heavier on the reader's heart. 

While not without it's flaws, this book does tell a compelling story and highlights a brutal but less well known piece of history. It's also great that Hur made this a stand alone book; no need to worry about being left on a cliff hanger and dragged along for series that wasn't meant to be a series. I would actually recommend it if the story sounds interesting to you as it's a quick and engaging read. 

Book Blog #354: Swift River by Essie Chambers

 

Title: Swift River

Author: Essie Chambers

# of Pages: 387 (hardback

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating:★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It's been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can't distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her family's past and discovers a legacy she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.

Review: Chambers has a lot of potential - some parts of the book were borderline 3 stars, but there were a few aspects that led me to settle on a two star rating:

1. There's 1st person POV switching and time skipping. The POV switching is across time periods: the reader mainly hears Diamond Newbury's point of view but the story of her family is also told through letters from her Aunt Lena and Aunt Clara (from a mix of the ~1915 and 1987, depending on when the letter was written). BUT ALSO there was time skipping from Diamond's POV as she recounts memories of her immediate family. These abrupt changes really disrupted my reading flow and made it easier to put down.

2. Telling a story through 3 narratives was unnecessary and read like three different books. I didn't need to know about three different women from the Newbury family because while their lives overlapped, their experiences were pretty distinct and did not add to the others' stories. Chambers should have picked one (likely Diamond) instead of rushing to get out a shallow telling of all three. 

3. The writing style for the letters was weaker than Diamond's primary narrative. Too much of telling the reader directly the story rather than letting us get immersed into the story and coming along for the ride. They also felt too much like someone grandpa/grandma telling me their life story unwarranted rather than a critical part in understanding how Diamond got to be the person she is today.

What I did like about Swift River is how Chambers wrote about Diamond's struggles - her complex relationship with her parents, her body insecurities, racism, discrimination, etc. It all felt very raw and created an authentic portal into what it was like to be living as the only black girl in town back in 1987.

But because of the failings mentioned above, it felt like Diamond's story was over before it began. I was left expecting more without ever wanting more. I walked away without knowing what I was supposed to takeaway from Diamond's journey and whether the part of her story that the book focused on was worth telling. I would not recommend this book.

Book Blog #353: Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

 

Title: Lady Tan's Circle of Women

Author: Lisa See

# of Pages: 342 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient. From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus , they tell from adversity beauty can bloom. But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

Review: I only knew two things going into the book: the cultural focus would be at least Chinese-adjacent (as per the title), and there would be graphic descriptions about the foot binding process.

Both ended up being more than true. The foot binding process was only a small fraction of the story and is actually just the tip of the iceberg of the depth of See's research in traditional Chinese customs. See's detailed account of Chinese medicine actually is what made the first ~100 pages difficult for me to get through. I don't have a particular interest in reading about medicine, so I was worried I picked the wrong book for me. It would be at most a 3 star read if it continued to lean toward being a slow history lesson rather than an engaging life story. 

However, after that first 100 pages, it got a lot better. I became invested in Lady Tan's life story albeit fictional (while Lady Tan is a real historical figure, little is known about her, so the author had to fictionalize many details to connect the dots). On theme with the women's fiction streak that I'm starting, this book focuses more on Lady Tan's non-romantic relationships, especially those with other woman. 

There's a question that arose from me that actually ended up being answered by the author on her website: "There are certain aspects of the novel that seem very contemporary—the epidemic outbreak, the arguments for and against variolation, and questions over who has control over women’s bodies. Was that intentional?" While the author says she is being historically accurate to the sentiments for/against variolation at the time, there are undoubtably parallels with the debate over the COVID-19 vaccines that were happening at the time of publication in 2021. This admittedly broke the immersion into traditional Chinese culture for me since there was extra focus on this topic in particular over other medical topics.

Something that surprised me is that the book also became somewhat of a murder mystery? Not enough so that it would reclassify the genre of the book, but enough to be startling for a book I expected to be vanilla historical fiction. 

Overall, this book was better than I thought! Despite the slow start, See did a decent job at avoiding making her book read like a textbook and created characters that the reader actually will care about. I would recommend this book to people who are interested about Chinese history and women empowerment. 

Book Blog #351: Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda

 

Title: Sing Her Down

Author: Ivy Pochoda

# of Pages: 272 (paperback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Florence “Florida” Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women’s prison―or so her ex-cellmate Diosmary Sandoval keeps insinuating. Dios knows the truth about Florida’s crimes, understands what Florence hides even from that she was never a victim of circumstance, an unlucky bystander misled by a bad man. Dios knows that darkness lives in women too, despite the world’s refusal to see it. And she is determined to open Florida’s eyes and unleash her true self. When an unexpected reprieve gives both women their freedom, Dios’s fixation on Florida turns into a dangerous obsession, and a deadly cat-and-mouse chase ensues from Arizona to the desolate streets of Los Angeles.

Review: Is the "thrilling Western" in the room with us? Because whatever I read was a historical fiction with unnecessarily flowery prose. 

The good: this captures a sliver of what life was like during COVID pandemic (which wildly is several years in the past already). 

The bad: everything else. 

It's a given I wasn't going to like the POV switching, but this one is particularly poorly executed. It's not just POV switching but ALSO first and third person narration switching AND time skipping. The switching made the narration VERY disjointed (a risk for this style that REAL stood out as a failing for this book). 

Even after finishing this book, I'm struggling to figure out why this book was even written. It's clear that there is some feminist messaging going on, but I'm failing to see a positive message here. The book seems to be pushing the idea that "all women are capable of being violent," but this message isn't particularly enlightening/surprising. 

Overall, it was just really hard to get into this book with all the different characters' ramblings. It's not a gripping mystery because I didn't care enough about these characters to care about what these criminals are doing with their lives. There's a bunch of action/crime that happens in gruesome detail, but even that failed to engage me as a reader, and I couldn't help but keep putting this book down.

I really don't get the point of reading this book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Book Blog #348: James by Percival Everett

 

Title: James

Author: Percival Everett

# of Pages: 302 (hardback)

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Review: This is the Huckleberry Finn story told from Jim's perspective that no one asked for but was better than it conceptually sounds. 

A borderline 3 star read for me - whenever people do a alternative perspective of a story, I'm always a bit skeptical of authors taking advantage of a pre-existing plot due to their own failings as a story teller. Another book I read recently, Wicked, does an okay job at this due to the amount of original content, but it had other questionable choices with how the story was structured, thus the three star rating.

At least the first half of James isn't as original as I hoped (a lot of overlap with the Huck Finn story). I was bored with basically rereading a story with some minor extra details thrown in, and would have given the book 3 stars if it stayed that way. However, the latter half goes deeper into new content and the perspective of a slave but ended abruptly right when I was getting into the story. 

Overall, an engaging read nonetheless. The writing is straight forward and easy to follow (making this a YA-level read despite some rape descriptions), but it was entertaining even without having prior interest in reading Jim's perspective. I would recommend it if the concept of a classic story retelling of Huck Finn sounds interesting to you.

Book Blog #346: Small Country by Gaël Faye

 

Title: Small Country

Author: Gaël Faye

# of Pages: 183 (paperback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Africa

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Burundi, 1992. For ten-year-old Gabriel, life in his comfortable expat neighbourhood of Bujumbura with his French father, Rwandan mother and little sister, Ana, is something close to paradise. These are happy, carefree days spent with his friends sneaking cigarettes and stealing mangoes, swimming in the river and riding bikes in the streets they have turned into their kingdom. But dark clouds are gathering over this small country, and soon their peaceful idyll will shatter when Burundi and neighbouring Rwanda are brutally hit by war and genocide.

Review: This book could have been categorized as horror by the heart-aching descriptions of genocide victims. 

I read the English translation of Small Country (originally published in French) with little to no context on what this book would be about. This is a mistake - as someone with little to no knowledge on the wars in Burundi and Rwanda, ramping up on the conflict that sets the premise of this book is much more difficult. 

Faye contrasts the relatively peaceful childhood of Gaby (a half French half Rwandan boy living in Bujumbura) in the first half of the book with the horrifying tragedy of genocide in the latter half. The former I would give 3 stars - the slice-of-life story of Gaby's peaceful childhood was just not that interesting. I put aside this book many times just because it was difficult for me to be engaged with learning about Gaby's home situation. 

The second part was much better and goes the farthest in enlightening readers on a tragedy that is likely overlooked or unknown to many people. Faye could have actually made this section longer and gone deeper on the conflict to land more of a punch and pull more at the heartstrings by developing more attachment to the characters. At the same time, it is impressive what Faye was able to accomplish in such a small amount of pages. 

Borderline 3/4 stars - I wouldn't recommend seeking out this book but would if there's interest in the topic and an opportunity to read it (especially since it's so short). 

Book Blog #334: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

Title: Americanah

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

# of Pages: 477 (hardcover)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.

Review: It felt good to read Americanah after 5 long years of it sitting on my to-read shelf. I remember when this was recommended to me - I was on the bus, the person showed me the non-informative cover, and told me it was a really good read. After hearing a verbal synopsis (which I didn't fully absorb), I got the sense it must be nonfiction, added it mindlessly to my shelf and didn't bother to look at it further (until now).

Admittedly thankfully, it is not nonfiction. Beginning third of the book is worthy of 4 stars - I really enjoyed hearing about a Nigerian immigrating to the US and how the introduction to race differs from someone beginning to experience it in adulthood vs African Americans who grew up experiencing racism all their lives. 

I actually didn't mind the time skipping either (skipping between the "present" and the retelling of Ifemelu's life leading up to her going to and living in the US). What I didn't like is the third person POV switching between Ifemelu and Obinze. Obinze's perspective is unnecessary and could have been told through Ifemelu hearing about it instead. 

I started to dislike the story a bit more once it became more preachy (likely on purpose, to address racism in America). It began to feel less like a story about Ifemelu and more educational - I would have preferred Adichie to be less blatant with the messaging.

By the end of the book I was exasperated. While I understand that making Ifemelu and Obinze flawed in their passion for each other makes the characters more realistic to life, it made it difficult as a reader to cheer for these characters. The story lost some of it's direction - is it a story about African pride (or lack thereof) and race, or is it a hopeless romance? 

I am on the fence on whether I would recommend this book. Although the writing style is better than the previous book I read (Saving Noah),  I definitely enjoyed and was less gripped to the story in Americanah. 

Book Blog #331: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

# of Pages: 369 (ebook)

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Rating:★★★★☆

Synopsis: Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Review: Since I was reading this not that long after reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I can't help but compare. I definitely liked this one a bit less, but it was still a fun read. Coincidentally I recently have seen the play Stereophonic, which is eerily similar to this book likely because both are inspired by the real rock n roll drama from Fleetwood Mac.   

This book is marked as both historical fiction AND contemporary because the story is told documentary-style. The "author"/interviewer is having this conversations in present time, but the characters are retelling a story in the 70s, focusing on height of rock n roll. 

I found myself reading this book in any spare moment I could possibly get. However, closer to the end, I began to feel annoyed with most of the characters (everyone has their own drama, everyone has qualities that kind of suck). What I did enjoy is how despite all the first person POV switching, most of the characters had a distinct voice, and I could envision this book like a documentary playing out in my head. The ending and the surprise twist actually made the documentary style less realistic for me, which is why this book can only get at most 4 stars from me. 

I would still recommend this book. 

Book Blog #328: The Heavan and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

 

Title: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

Author: James McBride

# of Pages: 389 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighbourhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows.

Review: This is somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. 

This book wasn't BAD per se. My problems with the writing style can be mostly chalked up to McBride making "artistic choices" that I don't enjoy. 

First, the most obvious: third person POV switching. This one is employed A LOT - every chapter. Third person story telling is already somewhat prone to some POV switching, but this one tries to cover everyone involved AND can time skip (either a bit before or a bit after the previous chapter's events). I got the classic "I wish I could hear more about the OTHER characters" feeling with some of the characters (such as Doc, Gus, etc.). 

Now, I would say that the third person POV switching did make the ending ~100 pages more gripping, and the ending is by far the best part of the book. However, this is more because the book becomes less-slice of life and more mystery, and there's actually PLOT PROGRESSION. 

Which leads me to my second major problem with this book - the author is a big rambler. There's a lot of TELLING rather than SHOWING the characters' background. McBride repeats some "important" details as if forgetting that it was already mentioned 50 billion times already. I wanted to scream "I KNOW already! Let's get a move on the rest of the story!" It wasn't even clear what this book would be about in the first 100 pages because McBride was introducing so many people - even at the end it's clear that McBride doesn't have a single protagonist for this book (is it Moshe, who is the focus at the beginning but less so by the end? Nope, likely no one person is the protagonist). 

Not having a clear protagonist DID mean that I ended up caring about a lot of characters (thus why I considered giving it 3 stars), but not everyone's story is nicely tided up in a bow by the epilogue, unfortunately. Unlike other mysteries where there ending is satisfying, this one left me feeling like there was still more story that could have been told, but McBride decided it was time to focus and end it at 389 pages.

I probably will not read another McBride book again. 

Book Blog #324: The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

 

Title: The Book of Lost Friends

Author: Lisa Wingate

# of Pages: 375 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Louisiana, 1875 In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation; Juneau Jane, her illegitimate free-born Creole half-sister; and Hannie, Lavinia's former slave. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following dangerous roads rife with ruthless vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and eight siblings before slavery's end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the seemingly limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.
Louisiana, 1987 For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt--until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, seems suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled oaks and run-down plantation homes lies the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.

Review: This really wasn't the book for me.

What the author did well:

- I really liked the idea of this book - the story was based off a real "Lost Friends" column that aimed to reconnect families (especially slaves families freed post Civil War). The idea of delving into what it would be like to be the author of one of these Lost Friends ad is something that appealed to me and doubtlessly would appeal many other readers as well. 

What fell short:

- The first person POV switching. While I know I have a tendency to dislike this form of storytelling in particular, it really was ruining the experience for me in this book. Wingate not only switches POVs, she also will time skip ahead and then explain what happened in the gap a bit later into the chapter. This is disorienting for the reader and also frustrating when a chapter was left on a cliff hanger only to be resolved in an anticlimatic way in the next chapter from that person's POV. It also has the same issues where I start to get into one character's story, only for it to switch to the other character. Which lead me to my next point...

- Benny Silva is a weak character. She is one of the protagonists of the book and acts as the "modern" perspective on the story being told. At first, her POV was a relief because she is the character the audience can relate to the most as an outsider to all the history covered in this book. However, her being an English teacher and a "bibliophile" and her part of the story being centered around these characteristics made this character seem like Wingate played it safe in creating someone in her domain as a writer. 

- Benny Silva is an annoying character. She even said herself that she's overly optimistic. It's annoying that she has this attitude when most of the problem solving is done by those around her. The readers are meant to be impressed with what she accomplishes in the book, but I think she receives too much credit. 

- In fact, both protagonists (the other being Hannie) receive more credit than they should. Hannie's story was more interesting to read, and she was more of a real adventuring heroine, but a lot of the problems she encountered were solved by happy coincidences that were pretty unrealistic. 

- Wingates should tell less and show more. The reader gets more information through dialogue when many of the characters find themselves talking and explaining way more than what would seem natural if not to service as a plot device. 

- Romance doesn't need to be the center of the story, but if an author is going to put ANY in, it should be developed well. None of the relationships between characters (platonic or not) had the depth that would make the reader feel emotionally invested.

I debated between giving this book 2 or 3 stars and finally settled on 2 due to it being a chore to read. It was an okay story, but the execution could have been a lot better. I wouldn't recommend it. 

Book Blog #314: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Title: Lessons in Chemistry

Author: Bonnie Garmus

# of Pages: 400 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Review: Despite going back and forth the whole time I was reading this book on whether to give it 3 or 4 stars, I finally settled on 4. At the end of the day, what matters is whether I, the reader, learned or enjoyed something from the book, the latter is certainly true. 

I had mixed feeling when picking up Lessons in Chemistry - on one hand, it won two Goodreads awards (one for Best Historical Fiction and another for Best Debut Author). There has to be something good about it if it won TWO awards. On other hand, it just LOOKS like it could be on (perhaps the classier end) of a chick-lit - the bright cover (with the edges of the book painted blue???) and even the title scream "girly cheesy romance novel." NOTHING wrong with a chick-lit to pass the time, but I wasn't looking for a brain-rot read at the moment. 

However, this book turned out to not be exactly what I was expecting. Yes, the target audience is definitely women - there are blatant feminist themes ENGRAINED in the book. Usually having such strong messaging in a book would come off preachy to me (I'm looking at you Jodi Picoult), and I wouldn't say this book is an exception either. That being said, I actually liked how women's rights was the main focus rather than the romance. It had to be this way; it would be hypocritical if it focused on the protagonist's romance and defining her story by her association with a man. 

It also justifies the historical fiction element of the book - the 1960s portray how much greater women's struggles were in gaining recognition outside of (or even being) a homemaker. Yet their struggles are not entirely unfamiliarly to modern day women, who can still find elements of discrimination relatable in today's society. 

I was initially concerned about this being Garmus's debut work - lack of experience sometimes means the author is more prone to portraying character unrealistically or building a weak story. It was unsurprising to me that Garmus has worked in medicine and is a rower; both of these experience surely influenced her decision to incorporate what she knows into her book. Despite her background, my concerns were at least somewhat actualized.

My main complaint with Garmus's writing is the dog's, Six-Thirty's, POV. For one, the book could have easily be written without his perspective - at most he is used as a plot device that could still be included from a different character's perspective. The only value of having his POV is to show that Six-Thirty has higher intelligence than most other characters are willing to believe. However, Garmus's over-personification of this dog is fluff at best.

As per usual, I didn't like the POV switching, although it being in third person definitely helped. I actually disliked the time skipping more, and combined with the POV switching, it felt like Garmus's writing style was a bit all over the place. I would prefer it if she stayed with one character in one time period for longer rather than skipping back and forth between paragraphs.

That being said, I couldn't put down this book. It finally got me out of my reader's block, and it had me smiling one minute and teary eyed the next. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but as someone in the target audience, I found it to be a very easy and fun read. 

Book Blog #301: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

 

Title: My Brilliant Friend

Author: Elena Ferrante

# of Pages: 331 (paperback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: A modern masterpiece from one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante's inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

Review: This slice-of-life style story was hard to get through. I read it on and off over the course of several months (starting in March) and just barely was able to finish it today.

I not a huge fan of slice-of-life stories in general since the pacing is usually slower and the plot is aimless. My Brilliant Friend was no exception. I found myself picking up this book and getting through a page or two at most before becoming bored and moving onto a more interesting activity. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book where I became more invested in the characters because it felt more like I knew - there are a lot of characters, and it was difficult to figure out who was going to stick around and who is unimportant. 

While this novel is written almost poetically, the words didn't flow as well as I hoped it would. This however might be in part because it was translated from Italian; if I read this book in its original language, perhaps I would have enjoyed the writing style more. 

Overall, a very slow read, and not worth it for the story that was told. There are some aspects that are confusing as well in terms of actions that happen outside of our protagonist Elena's knowledge that are explain in latter books; books that I more than likely not be reading. Elena and Lila have a strange friendship, on that is plagued with jealousy and rivalry. While this may sound like their relationship is complex and therefore realistic, it is unclear whether they are truly friends or if they're actually enemies. Many relationships are portrayed to seem somewhat toxic, and there's a ton of social politics. The focus on this aspect of the characters' relationships makes this a negative read; it would have been better if some of these negative moments (especially from Elena's internal thoughts) were also balanced out with more positive moments. 

I wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry, but since the ending was a bit more interesting, I do not regret reading this book.

Book Blog #300: The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

 

Title: The Queen's Gambit

Author: Walter Tevis

# of Pages: 12 hours (audiobook)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself. But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, there's more at stake than merely winning and losing.

Review: I watched the Netflix series before listening to this. After completing this audiobook, I was actually very impressed with how true the Netflix series is to the book. 

As someone who does not know chess very well, this story is definitely more interesting (and easier to follow) as a show than as a book. I don't know chess well enough to visualize what Beth is seeing when she describes her or her opponents moves. There are also a ton of characters to remember, and for me listening to the story rather than watching or reading the story makes it even harder to remember. 

Since I already knew the main plot from watching the show, I was not as interested in the story through the audiobook, especially since there wasn't much new information that wasn't already covered in the show. If I were more of a chess enthusiast or if I read/listened to this book before watching the show, maybe this rating would have been higher. There was nothing in particular that was wrong with the book other than it just not being a good fit for me. 

Even though Beth is a somewhat unlikable character due to her self-centeredness, I actually appreciated Tevis writing her this way. Perfect, likable protagonists are unrealistic no matter how much the audience loves them. Beth has her flaws as all of us do, and these are what make her seem real.

I wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry unless I knew the person was interested in chess. That being said, this wasn't a bad book at all, just not one that I particularly enjoyed listening to.

Book Blog #287: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

 

Title: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

# of Pages: 12 hours, 12 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

Review: Not exactly sure why this book is so popular. Disclaimer: Since I listened to the audiobook rather than read this book, I only comprehended maybe 80-90% of the story. This means I might have missed some finer details. 

Full of flowery, artsy descriptions, I found the story (and therefore the mystery aspect) of this story overall very uncompelling. I wasn't thinking this book would be structured so much around romance. I didn't like how the story kept skipping between two different time periods.

I just did not like Owen's prose, structure of the story, nor did I ever really connect with any of the characters. However, I don't know if I believe I wasted my time reading it, thus it gets 3 stars. I won't be recommending this book to anyone anytime soon. 

Book Blog #286: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

 

Title: The Duke and I

Author: Julia Quinn

# of Pages: 440 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable. Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen. Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar. The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

Review: The first time I heard of this book was because of an article on the Netflix adaptation “Bridgerton.” Or, more specifically, it was on Regé-Jean Page breaking people’s hearts after he’s seen with his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. I obtained an e-copy of this book, and the rest is history. 

 This book was going to get a strong 4 stars. The beginning half is great; it reads like a comedy (if you read it as a serious romance book then it’s just tacky), so I was thoroughly enjoying the read. 

 The most controversial part of this book, based on other reviews I have read, is the rape scene, and it was after this scene that my enjoyment of the book began its descent. The occurrence itself was not the part that bothered me so much as how the characters were made to handle it afterward. There was little to no acknowledgement of it being considered rape. In fact, I would say that the victim plays down the assault, and this grievous offense is therefore glossed over without any serious consequences. 

 When the book focus turns to sex scene after sex scene, I began to feel like I was reading Regency era Fifty Shades of Grey (aka shallow, non-interesting plot). 

 This book goes pretty fast, so if you’re interested in the synopsis, I would say go ahead and read it. If it doesn’t sound interesting, no need to “give it a shot.”

Book Blog #278: Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

Title: Love and Other Consolation Prizes

Author: Jamie Ford

# of Pages: 297 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, this is the unforgettable story of a young boy named Ernest, set during the 1909 Seattle world’s fair called the Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo. It is a time when the magical wonders of technology on display at the expo future seems limitless. But for Ernest, a half-Chinese orphan who found his way to America through a last desperate act of his beloved mother, every door is closed. A charity student at a boarding school, he has never really had a place to call home. Then one day, his wealthy sponsor announces that if a home is what he wants, then that is what he will have: Ernest will be offered as a prize in the daily raffle at the fair, advertised as “Healthy boy to a good home for the winning ticket holder.” The woman who “wins” him is the madam of a notorious brothel who was famous for educating her girls. He becomes a houseboy in her brothel and is befriended by the daughter of the madam, as well as a Japanese girl who works in the kitchen. The friendship and love between these three form the first real family Ernest has ever known.

Review: What started off as a slow, confusing read turned into a real page turner. 

This is the first book I've read by this author, so I didn't know what to expect. At first I was put off by the back-and-forth between the 1900s and the 1960s. Ford throws the reader headfirst into Ernest's life and Gracie's memory loss which made it difficult to really get into the book. However, as the story progressed, Ford did a good job of tying the "present" and the past chapters together as the story of Ernest and the two loves of his life unfolds.

I was experiencing some minor deja vu with the structure of the book, and then I realized it was because of the striking similarity with The Notebook. I would say that Love and Other Consolation Prizes is a MUCH better love story despite sharing a message of being able to love two people at once. 

This book read like a tragedy to me, with the main characters barely staying afloat with the support of each other in a world that was not kind to people like them; prostitutes, orphans, immigrants. I loved being able to see into Seattle's past, into the Garment district and the hypocrisy of many high-standing people at the time. 

Overall, a good, captivating, and quick read. I would recommend this book.

Book Blog #272: The Locksmith's Daughter by Karen Brooks

 

Title: The Locksmith's Daughter

Author: Karen Brooks

# of Pages: 566 (paperback)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Rating:★★★☆☆

Synopsis:Mallory Bright is the only daughter of London's most ingenious locksmith. She has apprenticed with her father since childhood, and there is no lock too elaborate for her to crack. After scandal destroys her reputation, Mallory has returned to her father's home and lives almost as a recluse, ignoring the whispers and gossip of their neighbors. But Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster and a frequent client of Mallory's father, draws her into his world of danger and deception. For the locksmith's daughter is not only good at cracking locks, she also has a talent for codes, spycraft, and intrigue. With Mallory by Sir Francis’s side, no scheme in England or abroad is safe from discovery. But Mallory's loyalty wavers when she witnesses the brutal and bloody public execution of three Jesuit priests and realizes the human cost of her espionage. And later, when she discovers the identity of a Catholic spy and a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom, she is forced to choose between her country and her heart.

Review: I'd like to first applaud Brooks for all the research she put into this book. This was one of the only times where I bothered to read the author's note all the way through because she goes through what sources she used and how she even went so far as to visit the locations that were used in the story. 

This book was a slow start; I ended up reading this book in two chunks; the first two hundred pages, then months of a break, and finally finishing the last three hundredish pages this weekend. The main aspect of the book to blame for this (and one of the reasons why its rating is missing two stars) is the author's laborious writing style. The beginning of the story dragged, and while the latter half of the book was more interesting, the plot was predictable. 

There were many events (i.e. revelations Mallory has from a certain experience, spur of the moment decisions, etc.) that seemed acts merely as a plot device rather than naturally flowing from the current direction of the plot, character development, etc. I'm a sucker for cheesy romance and therefore was a sucker for the romance parts of this book, but it was cheesy nonetheless. 

I have seen some label this book as a thriller; it is definitely not. Historical fiction and romance are the most accurate genres. In fact, if you are looking for a book about spycraft, I would look elsewhere. The focus of this book is not on the skills she learns under Sir Francis's employment but rather her personal growth, so those interested in "codes, spycraft, and intrigue" would have better luck with a different book.

Another surprising aspect were the descriptions of physical and sexual assault. Unlike many other books I have read, this book does not glaze over such occurrences and describes some encounters with more detail than I was expecting. 

Overall, although I enjoyed some aspects of my book, my time would have better been spent reading something else. I would not recommend this book.

Book Blog #266: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author: Heather Morris
# of Pages: 272 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
Review: I was wavering between giving this book 3 stars or 4 stars.

I read a couple of top Goodreads reviews before starting The Tattooist of Auschwitz and was surprised to find that the biggest criticism - no prose - was not just an opinion but a blatant issue. A love between two people's fate is so uncertain should be a harrowing tale, but the emotionless writing style failed to evoke any emotion in me.

That being said, I'm touched by how this is based off of a true story. There are many times were I felt like the way a certain character's action/dialog were portrayed seemed fake/unrealistic (i.e. Lale's inner thoughts), but the thought of how they are reflective of how real people felt save the book from being dropped to 3 stars.

There is third person POV switching, but in this case, I don't think it distracts from the story too much. It is a short and easy read (the writing style is quite simplistic, like it is meant for early readers). Despite the writing style, I was hooked on learning about Lale's and Gita's fate and couldn't put the book down. The Holocaust is filled with horrors, and although each terrible event might be lackluster in its description, I couldn't help but solemnly consider what it must have felt like to have such things happening around someone without having any means of stopping it.

Overall, an okay read. Since it is such a short read, I wouldn't consider it to be a waste of time reading. The story of Lale and Gita is amazing to hear about, even if the way it is described in this book is lackluster.

Book Blog #261: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Title: Middlesex
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
# of Pages: 529 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Middlesex tells the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides, and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family, who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City and the race riots of 1967 before moving out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret, and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction.
Review: This book took me an abnormally long time to finish. It has almost been two months! I had to check this book out at two different libraries because I wasn't able to renew at the first one.

Usually, when books take me this long to read, it's because I don't like them. However, this is not the case for Middlesex. This book was recommended to me by someone who knew I enjoyed books like Pachinko and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Middlesex spans multiple generations and "peels the onion" of Cal's life as a hermaphrodite. It's an interesting story for sure, but for some reason I was having issues staying awake long enough to make significant progress per reading period.

Something that did bother me about this book was how much the narration skipped around the timeline. I enjoyed the story when it was told chronologically, but since Cal is the narrator, he would skip to present day occasionally to give the reader an update on what is going on in his current life. This is a stylist choice, but it is one I didn't enjoy.

If it didn't have the magical power of putting me to sleep after only reading a handful of pages, I would have given it 4 stars. However, usually books that take me a long time to read indicate that I am not hooked by the story, which is why I docked a star off the rating. However, if the synopsis sounds interesting to you, I would recommend reading it. Although I wish it didn't take me as long as it did to read it, I do not regret reading it in the slightest.

Book Blog #252: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Salt to the Sea
Author: Ruta Sepetys
# of Pages: 393 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.
Review: This book is borderline between one star and two stars.

I can't believe this is a Goodreads Choice 2016 WINNER.

The biggest problem is the first person POV switching between Joana, Emilia, Florian, and Alfred. This is always, and Salt to the Sea is a perfect example as to why. The chapters were very short, and the perspective overlapped (so there were times when the same event was described up to four times).

Sepetys hoped to increase exposure to the Wilhelm Gustloff; a tragedy that was greater than the Titanic. Although Septys describes some of the gruesome events that occurred as the Wilhelm sank, the overall execution through the first person POV switching weakened the weight of the impact. Also, the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff was such a small portion of this book; if education on the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff was one of Sepetys's main goals, she should have made it take up a larger portion of the book. The fiction outweighed the main historical facts.

To address this in the least spoiler way possible...the romance was very very weak and underdeveloped.

I had high expectations for this book, which might be why I ended up rating it so low. Not worth the read.