For the Love of Reading: January & February & Early March 2020

March 10, 2020 By Carole

Last night I was trying to figure out what to blog about today and I thought . . . hmmm . . . I don’t think I’ve done a reading update lately. So I checked and that’s when I realized I haven’t updated the books I’ve read since January. Today I’m fixing that by sharing the books I’ve read for the last 2 plus months.

The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is Alice Hoffman at her best and I adored it. The magical realism ties in with historical period seamlessly and the themes of feminine power, good vs evil, and love conquers all are woven together beautifully. There is sadness and heartbreak but it’s ultimately a tale of hope and the power of a mother’s love. If you’ll forgive the comparison, it’s like having a grown up version of The Velveteen Rabbit . . . what we love can indeed become real. Highly recommended.

Fever by Mary Beth Keane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Historical fiction on Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary, that’s well written and does an excellent job of filling in the back story on this woman who was well known but little was really known about her. I learned a lot about Ms. Mallon’s life and the circumstances that lead to her isolation for many years but I can’t say that I ever truly connected with her or any of the characters. I sympathized but still felt removed from their feelings and the tragedy of the whole thing. Recommended for those interested in historical fiction, NYC at the turn of the century, and anyone wanting to know more about Mary Mallon.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good creepy story with a few twists I didn’t see coming. I feel like the unreliable narrator is overdone these days but it works in this instance. The ending felt rushed to me after such a long build up but it was satisfying nevertheless. Recommended for those who like the genre.

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nothing really new here, mostly a retelling of what others have already said. I did appreciate the author’s can-do attitude and sense of humor and did get some nuggets of wisdom but I’d say the most valuable part of the book is the other books she lists in the resources section at the end.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the surface, this book is a sweet romance set in Maine. If you consider it more deeply, though, there are themes of loss, abuse, empowerment, and second chances. There are scenes that made me laugh out loud and others that made me cry. The coastal Maine setting is realistic and the characters are enjoyable. I enjoyed this hopeful tale immensely.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the character of Jackson Brodie and the cases he works on as a private investigator in this book. The connections between the different cases are wonderfully drawn and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the surface this is just a great story with interesting characters and an intriguing premise. Truly, though, there is so much more to this book. It’s a study of race relations, white privilege and power, high school insecurities, and the tricky nature of loving a child you care for who is not your own. I thoroughly enjoyed it but was a smidge disappointed with the abrupt ending.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely weird, utterly entertaining, this unique story about fire children is worth reading. Covering themes like social class, second chances, what defines a family, and how far will we go to protect the ones we love, I highly recommend this novel.

The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connections and Courage by Brené Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is comprised of 6 lectures by Brené Brown on wholeheartedly living through vulnerability. It’s an amazing resource full of practical advice and inspirational anecdotes. Highly recommended.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was sure I had read this book . . . until I started Olive Again and realized I hadn’t. Now I’m so glad I did. The stories are wonderful with an incredible depth of feeling and understanding for so much of the human condition and I love that they are all connected by the presence of Olive. Highly recommended.

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book and felt compelled to read it quickly but have to admit there’s nothing really unique about it. The romance is lovely but the plot twists are predictable and the characters are pretty one-dimensional. I wouldn’t call it historical fiction although it is set in the 1920s and 1930s in England and the impact of WWI is undeniable. It’s a light easy read and was just what I needed right now.

A Better Man (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #15)

A Better Man by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had put off reading this latest Three Pines mystery because I had heard from people I respect that it wasn’t as good as the others. Now that I have finished it I can say that, for me, it was just as good as I had hoped. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this one immensely and it felt fresh as some new characters were introduced. I enjoyed slightly less the village characters, I felt Penny was including them because they are always involved but they didn’t really add to the story or move things along. I’m looking forward to see what she does next, I feel like she has a good setup for moving forward without being repetitious.

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nothing new here and perhaps too many stories trying to providence evidence rather than providing ways to enhance our receptiveness to signs and our connection with the universe.

Thirteen books. GoodReads tells me I’m 1 book behind my goal for the year but it’s early days yet. And also, it’s a hobby not a job. Well. I guess technically in my case it’s a job, too but you know what I mean.

What have you been reading lately?

Read With Us: Fever Discussion

February 4, 2020 By Carole

Hello and welcome to the first discussion post on the book Fever by Mary Beth Keane. Today I will be posing questions that concern the setting of the book, the writing style of Mary Beth Keane, and critique of the novel’s strengths and weaknesses. Next week Bonny will tackle the social issues the book addresses and then on February 18th Kym will go deep on the historical fiction basis of the novel.

Before we dive in, though, I have an extra special announcement to make about this month’s discussion posts. We have put together a “book lovers surprise package” to be given to one lucky Fever reader! How do you qualify? Just leave a comment on any of our book discussion blog posts over the next 3 weeks. Your name will be placed in a hat EACH time you make a comment — so the more you share, the more chances you have to win the prize. The winner will be revealed as part of our wrap-up post on February 25. Cool, right?

Okay, let’s discuss Fever!

The story is set in New York City in the early years of the 20th century. How does the city play a role in the novel? How does Keane do with describing the setting and making the reader feel like they are actually there . . . in the tenements, at the bakery, in the wealthy homes of the families Mary worked for? Does the setting contribute to the story in a meaningful way?
How does the story reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the time in which it was written or set?
What do you think of Keane’s writing style? Did it keep you engaged? Were you able to connect with the characters?
Discuss how Keane handled incorporating factual information into this fictional account of Mary Mallon’s life. Do you enjoy historical fiction? And how would you compare this book to other historical fiction titles you have read and enjoyed?

Please discuss your thoughts regarding these questions in the comments. I will do my best to reply directly so that we can attempt a sort of discussion despite the limitations of this format. See you in the comments and remember – the more you comment, not just this week but also at Bonny’s and Kym’s in the subsequent weeks, the more chances you have to win our special prize!

For The Love of Reading: November and December, 2019

January 15, 2020 By Carole

Even though I shared all of the books I read in 2019 with you last week, what I haven’t shared is my reviews of the books I’ve read since November. So, here you have what I read during November and December of 2019.

The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s difficult when you’re invested in a series and the books start to degrade but that seems to be the case with the Tradd Street books. There is too much repetition and no real development with the main character . . . she likes sweets, I get it . . . she’s OCD, I get it . . . she wants to pretend that she doesn’t communicate with spirits, I get it. The descriptions of Charleston and the curiosity to see what will happen have kept me coming back, and I’m sure I’ll read the final installment when it comes out, but honestly, this series should have ended after book 4.
I received an advanced copy of this title from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So good and yet so heartbreaking, it’s hard to say I enjoyed this book since it’s truly difficult to read, but I really did love it. The characters are real and Whitehead’s description are fantastic, this one is highly recommended.

Stolen Things: A Novel by R.H. Herron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a good suspense novel that mostly kept me guessing until the end. I do think it dragged a bit and maybe tried to cover too many hot button issues, some tighter editing would have made for a better book. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book started out strong, the middle was a bit of a slog, and then it picked up again at the end. Honestly, I felt like there was really just too much going on: family curses, feminism, abortion rights, the evil practices of the Catholic Church, LGBTQ rights and then some magical realism mixed in. It was enjoyable but ultimately fell flat for me.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is not for everyone but for me it was amazing. Full of magic and symbolism, it’s an epic tale that has many twists and turns and doesn’t wind up at all the way I thought it would. I do think it’s a tad long but it’s really an incredible story within a story within a story. There’s a passage in the book that describes it far better than I could: Part spy movie, part fairy tale, part choose your own adventure. Epic branching story that doesn’t stick to a single genre or one set path and turns into different stories but it’s all the same story. I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love the way Ruth Reichl describes food and this book about her experiences as the editor of Gourmet magazine is terrific and classic Reichl.

The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a powerful story of multiple generations of women in the same family and how they are connected by the experiences and cruelty of racism. There were moments in this book that were so painful to read they took my breath away. Highly recommended.

Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anna Quindlen writes about being a grandparent in a beautiful way, she truly captures the feelings that come along with loving the child of your child. Her advice on navigating the role is helpful but mostly this is a book that just celebrates the joy of being a Nana.

Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This collection of essays is good but somewhat uneven. The opening chapter is fantastic and some of the others are as well but many of them are repetitive and lack the insight of the first one. Still, recommended because of the insights she shares and the vulnerability she exhibits.

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m giving this 3 stars because, even though I sort of disliked it, I can appreciate the literary aspects of this book. I was fine with the timeline, with the ambiguous story and abruptly changing narrators, and even the ending, although I think the publisher’s promise that the ending will make everything click into place is misleading. My problem with the book is that I found the characters completely unlikable and I couldn’t connect to their experiences. That lack of connection is the flaw and kept me from giving the book a higher rating.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful, haunting, and emotionally powerful, this novel reads more like a stream of consciousness poem. I loved it . . . but it’s not for everyone.

Do You Mind If I Cancel? by Gary Janetti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great collection of essays, funny and entertaining, there were moments where I laughed out loud.

And there you have it. I ended the year on a pretty strong note. And, here’s one of my quirks. I finished Do You Mind If I Cancel on December 30, 2019. And I made myself wait to start a new book until January 1, 2020. I’m weird like that.

Read With Us: Promoting Fever

January 7, 2020 By Carole

We talked about reading yesterday and guess what? We’re talking about it again today! I’m a librarian and I could honestly talk about reading and books all day long but I have a specific task for today and that is to get you excited about our Read With Us winter selection: Fever by Mary Beth Keane.

In the interest of full disclosure I have to tell you that I haven’t started the book in earnest yet. As in, I’m at the 1% mark. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get you all hyped to get started! If you need a refresher on what it’s about and why we chose it you can find that on this blog post. I think this book will appeal to readers of historical fiction, certainly, but also fans of biofiction, those who enjoy stories of Irish immigrants, medical mysteries, and women’s fiction. In other words, the subject matter itself should be interesting.

Certainly the real Mary Mallon is a fascinating historical figure. She never exhibited symptoms of typhoid fever herself yet was eventually identified as the first asymptomatic carrier of the disease in the United States. She is presumed to have infected upwards of 50 people and three of those illnesses resulted in death, although she worked under different names and that number could be higher. Interestingly enough, she was not the most lethal carrier of the germ, that honor goes to Tony Labella, a New Yorker who caused two outbreaks in 1922 that combined for more than 100 cases and five deaths. We know now that germs are spread by poor hygiene and in Mary Mallon’s case it is believed that she passed along typhoid germs by serving ice cream with raw peaches. It was one of her most popular dessert dishes and since it wasn’t cooked the bacteria wasn’t killed in the process.

Mary Mallon was pursued and forced into quarantine on two separate occasions but both times wound up as a domestic worker or food worker again. In the end she spent 26 years in forced isolation on North Brother Island. This was as likely due to public opinion and ridicule as to any real threat of disease since she wouldn’t have spread it if she had stayed out of food service. I can’t help but wonder, and others have speculated on this as well, if Mary Mallon wasn’t pursued and isolated due to the socioeconomic situation at the time. She was female, Irish, difficult, and had no family. Was she justly quarantined or unfairly persecuted?

I’m sure we’ll have so much to discuss in the weeks to come! In the meantime, keep an eye out on Kym’s blog and Bonny’s blog for more posts to get you excited about reading Fever. And also . . . wash your hands!

My Year In Books 2019

January 6, 2020 By Carole

Today I have a graphic to share with you. It’s looooooong but it’s a summary of all the books I read in 2019. And, I have to say, I’m sort of proud of this one because I took 10 screen shots from the GoodReads website and I was able to merge them into one jpeg to share. I still wish GoodReads would provide the Year in Books in a way that was easily shareable but I’m pleased to have found a work around.

Anyway. Here is it . . .

I read 88 books last year and many of them were truly fabulous. I’ll be setting a goal of 75 books again for 2020 and I’ll be sharing them all with you as we go along. Happy Reading, friends!