Finally, I decided to find out what all the hype was about regarding Freida McFadden’s “The Housemaid”. I am late to the party, but I’m glad I came.
I Finally, I decided to find out what all the hype was about regarding Freida McFadden’s “The Housemaid”. I am late to the party, but I’m glad I came.
I took advantage of an audio book sale and listened to narrator Lauryn Allman beautifully perform McFadden’s highly rated and talked about series, “The Housemaid”. McFadden structures her story in three parts, with Milly the housemaid narrating Part 1.
Just when you think you have an idea of what is going on, Part 2 comes, with Nina, the entitled wealthy boss narrating. McFadden knows how to build suspense. The chapters are short and full of increasing tension. Milly is in a difficult spot, as she is on parole and desperate to be employed. Plus, she’s young. Only because of her desperation does Milly take the abuse of the entitled Nina. Once Nina’s chapters begin, Milly’s chapters have a different slant in hindsight.
Part 3 is both Nina and Milly providing the reader with their POV through alternating chapters. As with all thrillers, one cannot get into the plot without providing plot spoilers.
The hype is real. The ratings are well deserved. The Housemaid series now has 3 books, all highly rated. I’m a fan! Well done Ms. McFadden, well done. ...more
“The Haunting of Tram Car 015” by P Djeli Clark was a finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella and the Nebula Award for Best Novella 0f 2019.“The Haunting of Tram Car 015” by P Djeli Clark was a finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella and the Nebula Award for Best Novella 0f 2019. This is a very entertaining historical fiction fantasy that takes place in 1912 Cairo.
What I loved most, other than the very beguiling story, is that the story inspired me to google the Women’s Suffragettes’ movement in Egypt! Previously, I never considered feminism in Egypt. What I learned is that originally women had equal rights with men prior to the colonization of Egypt. Not mentioned in the story, but an interesting factoid is that Huda Sha’arawi was a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragette, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union. The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 was women-led, advocating for Egyptian independence from Britain.
But I digress. Clark’s fantasy involves Djinns (aka Jinn) which are supernatural beings that usually take human form and can influence mankind. Think of Aladdin’s genie. In Clark’s fantasy, in 1879 the djinn helped Egypt overthrow British rule. The story takes place in 1912, and in Clark’s Cairo, djinn have helped to modernize the city with Trams powered by djinn-made intelligence. Because of the djinn, Cairo needed the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities which is directed to oversee any magical abuses and investigate disturbances between moral and spiritual beings.
It appears that Tram Car 015 is haunted. Detective Hamed and his new partner Onsi must uncover the haunting. There seems to be a lot of spiritual restlessness. Meanwhile, women are working to obtain suffrage. How does Clark combine women suffragettes and the mystery of the haunted tram car? You need to read it!
A fantasy, a mystery, an historical fiction story…a pleasurable story. I chose to listen to the audio narrated by Julian Thomas. I used 1.2x speed and found his performance to be entertaining. It’s a 3 ½ hour listen. This story is perfect for audio, as I imagined sitting at a library in a comfy chair whilst being read to. I loved it....more
Author Chelsea Bieker writes a simmering suspense story that is “MadWoman”. I listened to the audio, narrated by Saskia Ma3.5 stars: TW: domestic abuse
Author Chelsea Bieker writes a simmering suspense story that is “MadWoman”. I listened to the audio, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld; her performance added to the discontent and unhinged nature of protagonist Clove, a fragile mother of two young children.
Clove, the protagonist and narrator, mostly speaks to “you”, and from the start we know she’s talking to her mother, who is in prison for killing her father. Through Clove’s internal dialogues to her mother, the reader learns that Clove came from a home full of domestic violence. Clove is very angry at her mother for not standing up for herself, for not leaving.
Bieker writes Clove with raw emotion. Some of the internal dialogue led me to wonder if Clove was an unreliable narrator. Coming from a dysfunctional home, any narrator would seem unreliable because it all seems so unbelievable.
Bieker shows how society does not understand why women continue to go back to their abuser. Clove was continually frustrated with her mother, almost accusing her of allowing and encouraging her violence. Our society is not made for supporting those who need help in finding a way out of a violent relationship.
Clove created a new identification for herself the day that her father was killed. The details of how her father died remains sketchy throughout the story until the ending. Her mother was convicted of the death. Clove ran away right after the death and disappeared. She’s been MIA since the death and presumed dead herself. However, she ran to a neighbor’s home, to the home of a woman who was against abusive men. This neighbor provided a gateway for Clove to reinvent herself.
Out of fear of being associated with a major new event, Clove created a false and tightly woven narrative of her new persona. She married a finance man who she felt confident would never lay a hand on her. She told everyone that her parents died when she was young, and she had no relatives. She is fully immersed in the Wellness Industry, thinking that Kombucha and probiotic will keep her family safe.
The plot gets questionable when Clove has an automobile accident when she rear-ends a woman. And then she sees the woman again at a health food store. She and this woman form an unusual and some may say an unrealistic friendship/relationship. That piece of Bieker’s plot was the weakest. But if you accept the rapid-friendship and the husband’s understanding/acceptance of the relationship, the story works. I found it odd that someone so controlling of their life, like Clove, would immediately accept a friend as charismatic as Jane. Clove wants to be Jane.
Why Clove continues with her internal dialogue to her mother is that her mother found her address along with her new alias and wrote her a letter. She wants Clove to visit her in jail and discuss her case. Her case is up for review because of a new lawyer who wants to expose the domestic violence as a reason for the murder. They need Clove to be a voice in the violence. Clove wants to keep that portion of her life a secret. The fact that her mother found her, under her new alias, brings tension to the narrative.
Clove is angry at her mother. To me, Clove was a mad woman. But she was also emotionally taxed by her upbringing so that she became a madwoman at times. Yet, it was her mother who ended up being the madwoman who killed her husband. There are a couple of other women characters who could be referred to as the madwoman. It’s a great title.
I recommend the audio because of Maarleveld’s performance. She is outstanding. The story is interesting if you are able to suspend logic around Jane’s part in the plotline. Bieker ends it well. ...more
I’m a big fan of Amazon’s Short Story Collection. Author Lisa Unger always delivers a suspenseful thriller. In “The Doll’s House” she adds a little hoI’m a big fan of Amazon’s Short Story Collection. Author Lisa Unger always delivers a suspenseful thriller. In “The Doll’s House” she adds a little horror.
The story is told from two POV’s. Jules, a grieving widow who is very concerned about her daughter, Scout’s, emotional health after the death by suicide of Scout’s father, Jules husband. Jules meets a uber successful artist, Kirin. He is widely known in Hollywood for his ability to create realistic looking dolls and puppets. George Lucas uses him.
The story has a simmering dark atmosphere. After a brief relationship, Jules decides to move herself and Scout into Kirin’s home which is controlled by AI. The AI allows or disallows access to every room. It’s creepy.
Scout needs to switch schools because of the move. She now goes to the school where Kirin and his sister attended. Scout soon learns that Kirin and his sister were royalty at the school. She also learns that Kirin’s sister died by suicide, although her body was never found….more creep.
Kirin gifts Scout a doll, his dead sister’s doll, and now Unger is rolling in suspense and tension. Mysterious injuries occur on Kirin’s property. Missing girls are reported. While Jules remains in blissful ignorance, Scout begins to suspect there is more to the missing girls and sister than meets the eye.
This is a 98-page read, which translates to a 2 ½ hour listen. Mia Barron and Kimberly Woods voice the two women. It’s a worthy listen/read....more
“Blue Sisters” follows three sisters who are still grieving their fourth sister who died from an overdose. They are brought together on the anniversar“Blue Sisters” follows three sisters who are still grieving their fourth sister who died from an overdose. They are brought together on the anniversary of Nicky’s death. Their mother sent them an email informing them that she’s selling their family home, an apartment on the upper West side of NYC. The girls must get there and take what they want.
Needless to say, the sisters are shocked by their mother’s insensitive timing and email. Through the story, we learn more about their cold and distant mother. The girls’ parents had an all- consuming marriage; their mother was devoted to their volatile father, abandoning the nurturing of the girls. It was the oldest Blue sister, Avery, who raised the other three. As adults, Avery is a lawyer, Bonnie a boxer, and Lucky became a model at age 15. The sister who died, Nikki, was a teacher with endometriosis. Author Coco Mellors doesn’t shy away from exposing the medical community’s very real ignorance of women’s health, especially regarding the pain of endometriosis. It's only recently that the medical community is recognizing the pain that women were forced to bear because “it shouldn’t hurt”. But I digress.
The pressure of raising sisters while being a teen resulted in Avery suffering from severe addiction. All the girls suffer from addiction of one sort or another. Bonnie the boxer loves pain. Pain is her addiction. Each sister has a messy life. Avery who is a successful lawyer, married to a loving wife, has been sober for 10 years; she is self-sabotaging her life from a pressure that we learn half-way through the book. Bonnie threw away her stellar career as a boxer and is now a bouncer. Throughout the book, she is self-destructive. Lucky hasn’t had a sober day in her life after becoming a model.
The story is told through the POV’s of each sister. The mystery of why the girls stew in self-loathing, addiction, and dysfunction isn’t addressed until chapter 12, Avery’s chapter. It’s the chapter that the reader learns more of their mother and their homelife.
Author Coco Mellors shows the complexity of sisterhood and addiction. Each sister’s story is heartbreaking.
I listened to the audio, narrated by Kit Griffiths. It took me some time to get used to her voice. Initially I didn’t like it, but as the story progressed, I found she suited the story.
Taylor Jenkins Reid debut novel, “Forever, Interrupted”, begins her story with 26 year-old newly weds lazing a3.5 stars For the love of Fruity Pebbles…
Taylor Jenkins Reid debut novel, “Forever, Interrupted”, begins her story with 26 year-old newly weds lazing about, when Elsie Porter (new wife) has a hankering for Fruity Pebbles. Her husband, Ben Ross, will do anything for her, gets on his bike to get her requested snack. Soon Elsie hears sirens. Her life is irrevocably changed.
This is a meditation on grief. Jenkins Reid is wonderful at showing the complexities of grief, especially after an unexpected death: the shock, the stun, the overwhelming weight of grief. She creates an interesting spin on her narrative: Ben and Elsie’s relationship was one of “love at first sight.” It was fast and intense. In fact, they only knew each other for 6 months prior to getting married. They were young and very passionate.
Sadly, Ben never got around to telling his mother that they were dating much less married. He worried about her being able to handle his relationship. She had lost her husband, his father, a little over a year ago. Susan herself is still over her head in grief. In Ben’s opinion, he was her everything, so he couldn’t tell her about Elsie without crushing his mom. I had issues with the reasonings that Jenkins Reid provided for Ben not telling his mother. I found it strange. I kept reminding myself that he was in his mid-twenties. If you get past that, the story works.
Jenkins Reid formats her story with the “now” interspersed with Elsie and Ben’s romance. They were an adorable couple. Part of the “now” is Elsie trying to get through her struggles. Elsie feels that no one takes her grief seriously because they were only married a few days, with a 6-month relationship in total. Doesn’t she have the right to grieve?
One of the best nuggets I took from this was when Elsie was struggling that her parents’ reaction to her news was with little interest, after all, she barely knew him. “People give you what they would have wanted; they don’t know what you want. So, there’s always a difference.” Very true. Another notable observation is that a widow doesn’t like being a 3rd wheel. The previous relationships with other couples fall apart, which further isolates a widow. How does one get over such a terrible, unexpected life event?
I listened to the audio, narrated by the fabulous Julia Whelan. It’s about a 9-hour listen. Interesting layers of grief are examined.
The immensely talented Therese Plummer narrates author Robin Sloan’s “Sourdough”. Sloan;s novel was published in 2017, three years prior to the Covid The immensely talented Therese Plummer narrates author Robin Sloan’s “Sourdough”. Sloan;s novel was published in 2017, three years prior to the Covid Virus. Too bad. If she had published this in 2020 during the shocking beginning of Covid lockdowns, this novel would have soared on the bestselling lists. Yes, Sloan was before her time.
Sloan takes the making of sourdough to new and hysterically funny heights. Sloan’s protagonist, Lois, is listlessly employed by a San Francisco robotics firm doing code. She frequently orders soup and sourdough bread from a quirky restaurant, Clement Street Soup and Sourdough, run by two brothers. When she calls in, they refer to her as “#1 eater”. When the brothers alert her that they need to jump San Fran because they are getting deported, they give her their starter for sourdough bread. Lois doesn’t know much about baking or what the heck a starter is, but she learns quickly.
This is a quirky, almost campy story involving people who take their starters seriously. I didn’t get into the sourdough bread making craze at the time of covid, but I understand the lengths people will go to get unique starters for anything fermented. My sister-in-law in Iowa feels strongly that she received a starter for yogurt that originated with 18th century nuns. These starters are coveted, although I don’t think they come with authentic provenances.
Lois loves her bread, so she starts making it and taking it to work and to her neighbors. At work, the workers only eat “Slurry” a nutritive gel. Of course, the workers love her sourdough. Then it is suggested that she sell at farmers market which leads her to getting more functional baking equipment. When it is suggested that she somehow use a robot to make her bread so that it is unique (robot bread), she works with a robot arm, teaching it to crack an egg with one hand. This is ridiculously funny.
Lois learns of the “Lois Club” which meets regularly. I am aware of a “Barbara Club” in Sarasota Florida, so I know that these clubs exist! Sloan has fun with naming the Lois’s like Hilltop Lois, Compact Lois, Professor Lois. The meetings are funny!
There is more, a bread maker who helps his starter with rock n roll music. When Lois’s starter starts to sing, she feels she has an unusual starter. How to feed this starter? One must read this novel!
Total campy escapism. I highly recommend this as a palate cleanser, as a reading romp of a good time. It’s silly. One must be in the mood for silly.
Plummer voices the novel perfectly. She elevates the story to one unconventional tale. ...more
Author Diane Wilson beautifully shows how the colonization of the native people in North America has done more than harm their cultures. The3.5 stars:
Author Diane Wilson beautifully shows how the colonization of the native people in North America has done more than harm their cultures. The Native America people were tied to the earth and the interconnectedness of the earth. Wilson brilliantly shows how once people stopped their connection to the earth, stopped respecting the earth, pollution, disease, and war ensued. The Indigenous people felt that “If I take care of the oak trees, I am also taking care of my family.
She was inspired to write this story when she learned of the importance of Dakhota women saving seeds. It is the seeds that produce food that keep our family alive. It is the seeds that produce food for animals that keep the environment in balance. It was noted that many wars were about food, or not having any.
Wilson uses four narrators to tell the history of one Dakhota family. The main protagonist is Rosalie Iron Wing, who’s white husband is dying of cancer suspected to be caused by the chemicals and genetically modified seeds that he was duped into believing in. He was a struggling farmer, desperate to achieve higher yields in his crops. But we learn that later in the story. It wasn’t just Native American farmers who were harmed by what was thought as improved technology. White farmers suffered as well.
Melded into the story of how “modern” society hurt the earth is the history of the Dakhota people. Wilson doesn’t preach necessarily. Through her protagonists we learn how the European colonizers took children to boarding schools without telling the families. The adults would go out to the fields to work, come home to discover the children gone. What happened to Rosalie was that her sole parent, her father (a science teacher) died while checking his traps. The government took her into the white foster care system. The reader doesn’t know what atrocities happened to Rosalie. We do know that she had no parental direction, no family, no support system. She was taken without any regard to the fact that her great aunt filed to adopt Rosalie but was denied. It’s tragic. What happened at these boarding schools is never a topic in the book. The book concentrates on the children, once returned from their boarding schools were never the same. Alcohol abuse, smoking, bad diets (which resulted in diabetes), were the result of the boarding schools. The children who were “saved” by their parents moving them to other areas never suffered the same psychological issues as those who were taken. It’s heart wrenching. Through Rosalie’s son, who is part white, part Indian, we learn of his social struggles at school, how cruel children were in the ‘70’s-90’s.
The plot revolves around Rosalie returning to her childhood home after she was taken away 30 years ago. We learn of her marriage to a white man, her love of her garden, her issues with a chemical company changing the way of farming. We learn of her son, his issues with being a mixed-race child. We learn of her female ancestors and how they kept seeds while being disenfranchised. This is a story of Rosalie’s search into her purpose and identity.
I chose to listen to the audio, narrated authentically by Kyla Garcia. I believe I would have enjoyed it more if I would have read it. It’s a bit of a rambling story, which resulted in some listening confusion, rewinding, etc. It’s a great story though. I’ve never been a fan of GMO’s and this shows how those chemicals and modifications harmed our environment....more
Thank you GR friends who previously reviewed Gina Chung’s “Green Frog”, which is a short story collection. You piqued my interest, and I am pleased thThank you GR friends who previously reviewed Gina Chung’s “Green Frog”, which is a short story collection. You piqued my interest, and I am pleased that I got the audio, narrated by Jeena Yi, Sue Jean Kim, and Hannah Choi. In these stories, the narrators elevated the experience.
This is billed as a short story collection that explores Korean American life. Her stories fall into the categories of literary fiction, some fables, folklore and a quasi-science fiction. There are 15 stories; the shortest is 6 minutes long and the longest is just short of an hour. She starts with a bang, with “How to Eat your Own Heart” which is a bit disturbing as reflected in the title. For me, the saddest one is “The Sound of Water” which explores anti-Asian sentiment (who tells a Korean kid that the tooth fairy doesn’t visit Korean kids?). One that involved folklore gives the reason frogs croak/cry in the rain. She touches upon the beauty of granddaughter/grandmother relationships, especially when a girl has a harsh mother.
Some of the themes she incorporates: grief; abandoned dreams; multiculturalism issues; insecurity; marriage; mother/daughter relationships; and even AI! In one, a husband and wife buy a little girl who was manufactured using AI to replace the daughter they lost. My immediate thought was, “oh no, I hope this isn’t going to be like a Stephen King rendition of ‘Pet Cemetery’”. Thank goodness, it is not; yet it is disturbing.
The audiobook is 7 hours of thought-provoking entertainment. I enjoyed every second, even the disturbing stories! ...more
One of my favorite poems is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. It’s a poem about choice, and regret. And as mentioned in “The Yellow Wood”, most peoOne of my favorite poems is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. It’s a poem about choice, and regret. And as mentioned in “The Yellow Wood”, most people remember it as a path not taken. Frost intentionally used the word “road” because a road is man-made. It implies intent. Additionally, Frost’s individual is “sorry” that he had to choose, he must take a road, and this implies he’s already in the throes of regret.
“The Yellow Road” is a nod to Frost’s poem. Amber Farrow and Griffin Lee meet at university in Australia. Griffin is Australian and Amber is finishing her nursing degree on exchange. Amber always intended to part of humanitarian nursing, working with groups such as Doctors without Borders. She wants to see the world, travel, and experience life unencumbered. Griffin is an artist. He has roots in Australia; he loves his country.
Although the two love each other, neither will settle. Amber needs to travel. Griffin needs to be at his art studio, creating beautiful paintings with a unique twist. He wants to be near his family; Amber has no family.
This is an Audible Original short story. It’s a 5 hour listen. Author Minnie Darke structures her story by time, beginning in 2022 and we learn of their relationship. It bounces back to 2014 when they first met, and then other defining years in each of their lives. It’s an interesting look at choice and regret. It’s sweet. ...more
“How To Read a Book” is one of my 2024 favorites because it’s full of love, empathy, kindness, and wholesome goodness.
The story is told in three POV’“How To Read a Book” is one of my 2024 favorites because it’s full of love, empathy, kindness, and wholesome goodness.
The story is told in three POV’s. First off is Violet, a 22-year-old woman who is incarcerated in a women’s prison in Maine. We learn that at the age of 19, she killed a woman while driving under the influence. She’s a good person who made a tragic mistake. She was raised in an unforgiving, religious family. Her voice is one of an innocent; yet she’s self-aware. She says goodnight every night to the woman she inadvertently killed.
Next is Frank, a retired machinist who got himself a job as a handyman at a bookstore. While working at the bookstore, he notices Harriet. Harriet comes to the store often, as she is the book club leader at the prison, and she is constantly in search for the next book she thinks the ladies will enjoy. Frank is socially awkward, earnest in all that he does.
Harriet, aka “Bookie” is one of the kindest, gentlest characters written. (I want to be like Harriet). She takes her book club volunteer job very seriously. She’s a widowed and retired English teacher. She states “Retired people were often thought to be lonely, but it wasn’t that. It was the feeling of uselessness, of being done with it all.” It is through Harriet’s eyes that we meet the women in the prison book club, and they are a riot! Most of these ladies grew up on the mean-streets of life. When they analyze a book, it’s no-holds-barred. They say it like it is. Harriet (and I) finds it refreshing. For example, after reading “Franny and Zooey”, one inmate brought out that only the rich have the luxury of a breakdown. Harriet observes that she never considered that existential crisis was a luxury!
Harriet meets with her prison group once a week on Fridays. She believes that books give your problems perspective. Harriet feels that reading is an exercise of empathy. The women love their time in the club, as it’s the only time they have an iota of control over their lives. Harriet recognizes Violet’s humanity. She treats the women with respect and dignity.
The three character’s lives connect when Violet is let out early for good behavior. She goes to the bookstore, attracted to a kitty in the window who is looking for a home. Harriet happens to be in the bookstore when Violet asks if she can adopt the cat. Frank happens to be working that day, and that is when we learn that it was Frank’s wife who Violet killed. Frank is stunned when he sees her, but not for the expected reasons.
The story shifts to Violet’s life as she leaves the penal system, at the fragile age of 22, all alone with no support. Her mother died while Violet was incarcerated. Her sister blames her for her mother’s death. Violet’s aunt will have nothing to do with her either. Violet doesn’t even know how to use a bus. Violet’s sister picks her up from prison, drops her off in Portland at a prepaid one-year leased apartment. She informs Violet that no one in her town or family will forgive her. The sister is kind enough to provide Violet with some pocket money and a few clothes. Other than that, Violet is on her own in a city she has never set foot in. We learn of the difficulties ex-felons face in trying to find a job, get a library card, navigate the world. Violet holds deep guilt and regret for her DUI.
Author Monica Wood orchestrates the three characters to become a new community for Violet. Yes, Frank, kind sweet Frank, forgives Violet. He saw her remorseful emotions at the trial. He realized she was a good kid who made one really bad decision. Both Harriet and Frank are written with great kindness.
“How To Read a Book” is really a book on how reading books can help you to empathetically read a person. Wood pushes the reader to consider who deserves second chances? How much should we consider incidental circumstances? Wood teaches us to not be so quick to judge.
This book soothed my soul. These are characters who will own real estate in my head for a very long time.
I listened to the audio narrated by Eileen Stevens. She did a great job.
“The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife” is sold as a “warm, life-affirming debut about a bizarre case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man “The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife” is sold as a “warm, life-affirming debut about a bizarre case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.” I wanted a feel-good story to listen to whilst I did chores, and this fit the bill.
Fred is depressed. His beloved wife has died of cancer, leaving him penniless after the costs of all the experimental treatments they tried. He’s being evicted from his public housing. He takes a walk and finds a man in a wheelchair who appears to be trying to feed the birds with his stale bread. Upon approach, Fred sees that he’s dead! He attempts to bring the man, Bernard, back to his group of elderly pensioners. But then Bernard falls out of the wheelchair and falls into the river! Oh no! As Fred tries to pick up Bernard, he hits his head and is disoriented. By the time the care professional notices, Bernard has been swallowed by the river. She assumes Fred is Bernard and hustles him back to the nursing home where Bernard lives. Bernard is in early stages of dementia; hence he says odd things all the time. Add to that, Bernard and Fred look eerily similar. When Fred tries to explain that he is Fred and NOT Bernard, no one pays attention.
Author Anna Johnston has fun with the elderly trope. There’s a sex-crazed woman in a motorized wheelchair who takes her love of pink to a new level. Adult nappies always get some laughs. Fred is receiving 3 meals a day, has a comfortable bed, and friends! He decides to quit trying to explain that he’s not Bernard; he’ll enjoy Bernard’s life. It all goes well until Fred learns that Bernard has an estranged daughter.
It’s a sweet story. Fred is a kind soul, and all the residents in the nursing home are entertaining. It’s a story of second chances, community, family, and redemption.
I listened to the audio, and it was narrated by Tim Carroll nicely. ....more
“Minor Detail” by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette, was longlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize. It’s been described as a ha“Minor Detail” by Adania Shibli, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette, was longlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize. It’s been described as a haunting meditation on war. This crushed my soul. Yet, I am happy I read it. Shibli brilliantly writes of the on-edge, constant anxiousness of living in Gaza. Going from Zone A to Zone B or C is something this American cannot fathom.
Shibili begins her story during the Arab Israeli war of 1948, which the Arabs refer to as “the Nakba”, from the Arabic alnakbah “the catastrophe”. The story is told from an Israeli encampment in the Negev Desert in 1949. The soldiers find a Palestinian teenage girl and brutally treat her. This atrocity is well documented.
The second part of the story features an unnamed narrator, a female office worker in Ramallah. While at work, she read a newspaper article about a Palestinian girl who was raped, tortured, and buried 25 years prior the narrator’s birth date. It’s because of that date, her birthday, that one minor detail, that the narrator’s interest is piqued. Plus, the narrator sees this death as a minor detail in the history of violence towards the Palestinian people.
The woman leaves the West Bank in search of the girl’s burial site. Through her going into the various security checkpoints to get to the interior of Israel, Shibili builds tension and paranoia. Translator Elisabeth Jawuette effectively translates Shibili’s prose because I felt the horror, fear, and concern the narrator experienced while driving out of her “zone”. Machine guns, helicopters and bombs are her white noise of existence.
I read to explore unpopular viewpoints. I recommend this for anyone who wonders what it must be like to be Palestinian stuck in Gaza. War is complicated and always harmful. My heart breaks for all involved.
I listened to the audio, narrated by Siiri Scott. Her voice is haunting in a perfect way. My soul was crushed. ...more
“More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” was an audible freebee for me, so I needed to give it a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed this gentle, sweet, contemplat“More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” was an audible freebee for me, so I needed to give it a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed this gentle, sweet, contemplative story.
From the story, I learned that there is a Tokyo neighborhood, Jinbocho, where there is the highest number of bookstores in the world. It’s a bibliophile’s delight. The fictious Morisaki Bookshop is a second-hand bookstore that is owned and operated by Satoru (who takes book collecting very seriously) and specializes in modern Japanese literature, along with some contemporary novels. It is through his niece’s (Takako) eyes that we learn about the functioning of the store. Takako loves the eccentric customers it attracts.
Many Japanese books are mentioned: “In Praise of Shadows; Train of Fools; A Moment of Twilight” are a few examples. The story is about the pleasure of finding a book. Author Satoshi Yagisawa pens a love letter to all book lovers with this story. Topics such as “where do you store all your books in your apartment?” and “How do you edit your collection of books if you love them all?” Anyone who has moved or downsized runs into that dilemma. We book lovers love our smelly, moldy books.
Yagisawa shows how books can open us up to the world. Some of us read as a consolation or a retreat from the world. Whatever the reason for being a bibliophile, or book enthusiast, your heart will be warmed by this sweet story.
Catherine Ho narrates this beauty with aplomb. Special shout-out to translator Eric Ozawa. You know a translator is great when the story sounds like it was written in English. His Translator’s Note at the end was heartfelt. I recommend this for when you want you need a book hug! ...more
“The Chamber” by Will Dean started as an adventure read. It reminded me of Andy Weir’s “The Martian”. Ellen Brooke is the 4.5 stars:
TW: Claustrophobia
“The Chamber” by Will Dean started as an adventure read. It reminded me of Andy Weir’s “The Martian”. Ellen Brooke is the narrator of “The Chamber” and she starts the novel by explaining everything involved in a saturation dive. Perhaps it’s because Ellen explains that divers who dive this deep wear contraptions like astronauts with the big helmet and awkward gloves, etc. Furthermore, she describes how each part of the dive can go wrong, and what happens when it does go wrong. It’s a dangerous job, which as a career, attracts very brave people, some could say thrill seekers and adrenalin junkies. The crew is in a hyperbaric chamber (diving bell) that is around 100 meters below the ocean’s surface to the seabed. I was familiar with the bends and regulating pressure and that rapid decompression could be fatal. But there is far more involved. The air that they breath is a helium-heavy gas (heliox) which makes their voices sound like Minnie and Micky Mouse. It takes a while to adjust to understanding their new voices. There is a massive support team on the mother ship, more than 90 individuals, that the divers depend upon. One error and the divers could implode, have their blood boil, or they could freeze to death in seconds. They gruesome ways to die are abundant, and Ellen details them all.
As I said, the beginning is science rich, similar to Weir’s space novels. The divers are there to repair parts of an oil rig. The divers work in shifts; Ellen and another diver are the first to go down the diving bell, working in 5-hour shifts.
When one of the divers is found dead in his bunk, it is assumed there was an underlying health condition because there is no overt reason for the death. There are 6 divers involved, 5 alive. Now the other five need to be involved in an immediate autopsy before they can move the body. They need four days of decompression before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened…or they will “get bent”.
When a second diver dies, the situation becomes a pressure-cooker and a locked-room mystery. Ellen informs us how food is passed through decompressed airlocks and water is pumped into the chamber. The chamber is impenetrable. Is the killer one of the divers? Or is there a culpable nefarious support team member?
The remaining divers attempt to find out how the divers are dying. How can this be happening in such a controlled environment? As the body count rises, which eliminates suspects, paranoia is rampant. Extensive dives can cause brain injuries. Is someone unhinged? Or is this retribution? We learn some of the background of each diver, including Ellen.
I am not a fan of tight spaces, a bit claustrophobic. Dean’s prose left me with a heavy chest. I was gulping air! The chamber that they are in is about the size of a small bathroom with 3 sets of bunks. That is the comfortable part! As the story progresses, it gets hotter, and more frightening.
Dean sneaks in some other themes such as grief, work pressure, anxiety, coping mechanisms (unhealthy and otherwise). It’s an interesting read!
I chose to listen to the audio, narrated by Helen Keeley. She was excellent with different accents. Highly recommend. ...more
Two things drew me to Willy Vlautin’s “The Horse”. First is that the amazing Ann Patchett endorsed this novel. I respect Ms. Patchett as she tirelesslTwo things drew me to Willy Vlautin’s “The Horse”. First is that the amazing Ann Patchett endorsed this novel. I respect Ms. Patchett as she tirelessly advocates for those great authors who don’t get their fair share of press. Second, Vlautin dedicates the novel to John Doe, lead member of the Band X. I loved X, and the bandmates Exene Cervenka and John Doe in my youth!
While I enjoyed the story, I don’t know if it’s for everyone. Vlautin writes of a fictitious musician, Al Ward, a country songwriter/singer. He details the struggles of musicians, trying to scrap out a living playing in beer-soaked bars, casinos, hotels, anywhere they can get a gig. If you are familiar with country western music, most are sad. Think of the titles “You’re the Reason Our Kids are Ugly (Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty); “The Joke” (Brandi Carlile); “Beer Never Broke My Heart (Luke Combs); “I’m Sorry” (Brenda Lee); “All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down” (The Mavericks) just to name a few. Al writes a few doozies himself which Vlautin must have had fun dreaming up. For example, there’s: “I Hit it Big but It Hit Back Bigger”; High Time We Quit This Low Living”; “I got Loaded”; “The Big Escape” to name a few. These are songs that tell stories. If you love sad songs, you’re in for a treat with this book.
This is a sad story showcasing the booze, drugs, and hard living of a musician. Remember “Walk the Line”, the Johnny Cash movie? Johnny’s rise to fame was rocky, ugly, and booze infested. This novel reminded me of the movie “Leaving Las Vegas” with Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. One must be in the mood to enjoy(?) a drama whose protagonist who seems to be hell-bent on destroying himself. Al, like Johnny, wasn’t necessarily hellbent on self-destruction; however, both men had substance issues and found themselves in precarious situations due to their life choices. And, like Johnny Cash, Al is likeable. The reader wants good things for him because he’s a great guy who just makes really bad decisions.
Even at his lowest points in the narrative, Al NEEDED to write songs. Vlautin demonstrates the commitment and dedication which borders on obsession of a person’s love for their craft. Al is a gifted song writer. That gift kept him alive. But what a life!
I listened to the audio, narrated by the author. He did a fine job. I wished that I would have read this though. Al tells his story in a nonlinear, rambling way, which made following the story difficult on audio. I immediately went back to the beginning of the audio after I completed it. I missed so many things while I listened the first time. The transitions from memory to what is happening to Al as he goes along his day is confusing. I love Vlautin’s prose. For that reason, I’ll check out his other works, but I’m going to read them.
Vlautin made an impact on how I view those bands who are trying to make a name for themselves. Following one’s passion is not always an easy road. ...more
4.5 Stars: Winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
I found4.5 Stars: Winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
I found author Jo Callaghan’s debut “In a Blink of an Eye” riveting. I am enjoying authors who are including Artificial Intelligence in their genre, in this case, the thriller/police procedural genre.
Lock, an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) is a hologram created by a university professor as an aid to the police force. The idea is that AI can compute statistic, scan evidence, compute complex calculations in seconds while it could take a human 50 hours of work. Furthermore, the professor who created it wanted to take out human bias judgements. The professor wanted all logic in police work, not the hidden biases to be involved. Lock is part of a pilot program which Kat Frank, a successful policewoman, is designated to lead. She’s not thrilled, as she believes her success has been because of her “gut”, her intuition. Additionally, Kat just lost her husband to cancer, an AI misdiagnosis. (I didn’t know that the medical community is using AI!) She is leery that Lock will be a thorn in her side. Reluctantly, she agrees to be part of the program.
Her mandate is to find two missing young men, both in their later teens. When the team meets, including Lock, (who is made in the image of the actor Chadwick Boseman) Kat is annoyed and impressed in equal measure. Lock knocked out the stats involving missing boys in seconds. He can do more than that as well. He can upload pictures and produce them on a wall. He’s an efficient tool. He also challenges her embedded biases which she finds frustrating. She refers to Lock as “it”, as she refuses to acknowledge his “male” hologram.
Callaghan adds humor to her story. For example, Lock ponders why humans want to make AI more “humanlike” when really humans should be wanting to be more AI-like. He can watch a movie in 5 seconds, which includes a review and analysis. Why waste time being human? These are smile worthy moments, not chuckle, but necessary nonetheless because the plot is stressful: find the two missing boys before they find them dead.
Suspense is added when Callaghan includes short chapters involving someone in a hospital bed. Those are chilling chapters. The chapters are narrated by a male voice.
I listened to the audio narrated by Paul Mendez and Rose Akroyd. I couldn’t wait to get back to my audio. Highly recommend. ...more
I listened to close to 4 hours of author Kristen Arnett’s “Mostly Dead Things”. I tried; I really did. This is an interesting story, perhaps a YA storI listened to close to 4 hours of author Kristen Arnett’s “Mostly Dead Things”. I tried; I really did. This is an interesting story, perhaps a YA story, of a girl who is an instrumental part in her family’s Taxidermy business. She’s not stuck there, as she loves her work. It’s an interesting look into taxidermy. I was fascinated.
But then, it turned a bit trashy. The protagonist, Jessa-Lynn finds her father, who committed death by suicide (it’s a bloody scene). That didn’t bother me. Her mother, who was on shaky emotional ground prior to her husband’s death, sinks into a disturbing level of emotional unwellness. She starts exhibiting the taxidermy animals in provocative and vulgar poses.
Jessa-Lynn is queer and can’t keep her hands off her brother’s wife and her mother’s acquaintances. It became a bit raunchy, too raunchy for me. Hence, I DNF.
This is highly rated, so take my DNF with a grain of salt. ...more
I’m new to the Marlow Murder Club Series, joining the series at book 3, “The Queen of Poisons”. What I enjoy most about cozy mysteries is that the autI’m new to the Marlow Murder Club Series, joining the series at book 3, “The Queen of Poisons”. What I enjoy most about cozy mysteries is that the author must rely upon clever characters, banter, and plot. When an author has gore eliminated from his/her mystery repertoire, the author must rely on character development, misdirection, and excellent sleuthing skills.
When Marlow’s Mayor, Geoffrey Lushington dies at a Town Council meeting, a meeting that Suzie Harris was one of the attendees, DI Tanika Malik realizes that the Marlow Murder Club ladies will be working the case whether she wants them or not, so Malik allows them access as “civilian advisors”. Right away, a poison, aconite, was found in his system. Suzie is very familiar with the plant as she grows it in her garden. Given its bitter taste, it is assumed someone put it in his coffee or in his sugar cube. But, who and why?
Why I believe elderly sleuths are such a hit with readers is that we all hope to enter our 70’s and 80’s with our wits about us. We want to believe we will have relevance and energy as we enjoy our senior years; we want to be elderly sleuths. We want to believe it is possible.
So when Judith, Suzie, and Becks align their focus into solving the mystery of who killed the Mayor, it’s delightful. There’s a few squabbles and a very annoying mother-in-law (what a delightfully evil character) that add to the plot. Author Robert Thorogood adds humor to the antics of our senior ladies. Judith is the alpha, Becks, as a Vicar’s wife, seems to have difficulty standing her ground, and Suzie is the dog walking, nature loving senior easily recognized in our daily life; all three characters are entertaining in their own way.
I am happy to be acquainted with these delightful septenaries!
I listened to the audio, narrated very well by Nicolette McKenzie.
What fun this novel was! I adored Korean author Miye Lee’s “The DallerGut Dream Department Store”. Shoutout to translator Sandy Joosun Lee because it What fun this novel was! I adored Korean author Miye Lee’s “The DallerGut Dream Department Store”. Shoutout to translator Sandy Joosun Lee because it seemed as though this was written in English.
Lee begins her story with an Author’s Note. She queries: why do we dream? One third of our lives are spent sleeping. Are our dreams subconscious illusions or are they more profound? She created a story about a shopping village where you can only enter when you are asleep. She includes furry Noctilucas who clothes those who arrive naked. Let’s be real, we’ve all had those naked dreams…. But this isn’t about nightmares of realizing you’re giving a company presentation while nude. No, this is a whimsical look at a place where you can purchase a dream of your choice.
Penny, our protagonist, has arrived at the Department Store for an interview. She gets a job at the front desk; each floor has different dream options. As Penny learns the different dream offerings, it becomes a novel of interconnected stories.
One of my favorites was Precognitive Dreams. Those result in Deja Vue moments in waking life. These are dreams that show events that will happen in the future. Conception dreams are precognitive dreams. FYI, one cannot get a precognitive dream that would provide future lottery numbers. You cannot ask for a specific precognitive dream. You just get a dream of something that will happen in the future.
There was a snippet of a dream of eating. It gave many dreamers pleasure. I’ve done that, but it was a nightmare. I was dieting and had a dream that I binged eating too much food, to my horror. It was my nightmare. I never thought of reframing it to a happy dream of eating when I wasn’t allowing myself my high-fat yummy goodies.
Yes, there are uses for bad dreams…your nightmares. What they can do, is makes you less scared. For example, if you are afraid of rats, you’ll have nightmares of rats, until you conquer your fear! Or a recurring dream of taking a test you didn’t study for (guilty).
Each floor of the department store sells specialized dreams such as flying dreams, childhood memories, visiting dead beloved friends or family. Each floor is whimsical and fun.
If you’ve ever pondered dreams, their part in your emotional life, this is an interesting novel. It’s a fun look at dreams, both nightmares and otherwise. Night is the official moment of resolving the past to enter the present and be prepared for the future.
I appreciated translator Joosun Lee’s translator’s note. She admitted it’s a love letter to this book. She read it in Korean, after her sister gave her the book. She loved the unpretentiousness of the story. She loved all the whimsical and beloved characters. She tells of her choices that she made in wording the story including choice in verb tense.
I highly recommend this wonderful story to anyone who loves quirky and sweet stories. Also, if you are a person who would go to a dream store if available, this is the book for you!
Barbara (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS!)
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