One thing I love about being a reader is when two books connect unexpectedly. Last month I had one of those moments of book serendipity with two seemingly unrelated reads, Postcards from Cookie by Caroline Clarke and Boy, Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi. Both books, written by women of color, explore race, adoption and identity in some ways that [...]
Book Review
Title: The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis Author: Thomas Goetz Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2014 Publisher: Gotham Acquired: From the publisher for review consideration [rating:4/5] Review: Today, we accept without question that germs cause disease. We wash our hands to avoid harmful bacteria and get vaccinations for deadly diseases to [...]
I’ve got kind of an odd pair today, a recent piece of fiction that reads more like poetry and an audio book memoir with a crude sense of humor. But, I do think Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill and Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman have something in common — both books are, on some level, [...]
Title: Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest for Primitive Art Author: Carl Hoffman Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2014 Publisher: William Morrow Acquired: From the publisher for review consideration [rating:4/5] Bloggers Recommend: Since Michael Rockefeller disappeared while hunting for art in the jungles of New Guinea, rumors have circulated about his death [...]
Title: Busted: A Tale of Corruption and Betrayal in the City of Brotherly Love Author: Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2014 Publisher: Harpber Acquired: From the publisher via Edelweiss for review consideration [rating:4.5/5] Review: On a cold but sunny morning in December 2008, Benny Martinez walked into the office of the Philadelphia Daily News [...]
Title: Wave Author: Sonali Deraniyagala Genre: Memoir Year: 2013 Publisher: Vintage Acquired: Bought [rating:5/5] Review: On December 26, 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala and her family – her husband, her two sons and her parents – were vacationing at a beach resort in Sri Lanka. Lazing around their hotel room the day after Christmas, Sonali noticed the white curl [...]
Title: Hope Street, Jerusalem Author: Irris Makler Genre: Memoir Year: 2014 Publisher: HarperCollins Acquired: From the publisher as part of a book tour with TLC Book Tours [rating:3.5/5] Review: There is something very familiar about the story in Hope Street, Jerusalem. As I read, I kept feeling like this story — a workaholic woman moves to a [...]
One of the things that I love about switching to mini-reviews for fiction is that I don’t need to take notes or think too hard while I’m reading, I can just enjoy a book. The only problem with that situation is that when I feel somewhere in the middle about a book — as I [...]
Title: Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness Author: Neil Swidey Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2014 Publisher: Crown Acquired: From the publisher for review consideration [rating:5/5] Review: I’m sort of garbage at writing book summaries, so I’m just going to quote part of the back of [...]
Title: Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch Author: Sally Bedell Smith Genre: Nonfiction Year: 2012 Publisher: Random House Acquired: Bought [rating:5/5] Why I Read It: I’ve wanted to learn more about Queen Elizabeth II ever since I stumbled across a documentary about her during her Diamond Jubilee in 2012/2013. I finally picked [...]
