Two Sentence Summary: People are afraid of tap water so they buy water in the bottle, but is bottled water actually any better for us? Peter Gleick thinks not.
Two Sentence Review: If you want a balanced look at the water issue, this book will be a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, it’s an informative and engaging look at an issue that impacts all of us.
Book Review
One Sentence Summary: Laurie Hertzel joined the Duluth News Tribune in the mid-1970s as a clerk, then found herself sucked into the life and career of a journalist.
One Sentence Review: Hertzel’s memoir is a self-deprecating and charming coming-of-age story about life in the newsroom, but I’m just about the ideal reader for the story so might have a hard time assessing it objectively.
One Sentence Summary: Freya Morris is 30-years-old, haunted by a mistake from her childhood, and tracking down a family secret in Iceland.
One Sentence Review: The Tricking of Freya beautifully plays with language and storytelling in a book about the culture of Iceland and the challenges of immigration.
Not do something for this year’s September 11 anniversary left me with an absence having not thought about it, so I took some time this week to read a couple of books as a way to remember – Hiroshima in the Morning by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto and Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan. I don’t want to write about them at the same time to compare them because they’re totally different, but together they helped fill some of that gap I was feeling.
One Sentence Summary: A former Russian prima ballerina tries to sell her jewelry collection and push away the memories the collection brings forward.
One Sentence Review: Daphne Kalotay’s book doesn’t fit well into any genre, but is poetic and a book I wanted to immerse myself in.
One Sentence Summary: Competitive bird watching is a real thing, and 1998 was a banner year for one of the sports’ oddest competitions.
One Sentence Review: The Big Year is an entertaining and well-paced look at an obscure hobby and the people who love it.
About three months ago, Boyfriend and I were invited to join a wine tasting group here in Madison called WASTED – it’s an acronym for something, but no one can see to remember what!
We’re heading off to another WASTED meeting this afternoon, which made today seem like the perfect time to review a narrative nonfiction book I just recently finished about the history of wine in the United States, The Wild Vine by Todd Kliman.
One Sentence Summary: At 14-years-old, Finny Short runs away, and the boy she meets while on the lam changes her life for the better.
One Sentence Review: Finny was the perfect light but impactful read that I wanted while on vacation at the lake.
One Sentence Summary: Unable to afford school, 14-year-old Malawian William Kamkwamba pursued his education at his village library where his life was changed by a book called Using Energy.
One Sentence Review: William’s memoir was the perfect combination for me – compelling story, strong narrative voice, and connections to real life.
