I thought the first 10 pages were so cute, and then it just…kept being cute and worse, trying so hard to be cute and quirky, and then the narrative stI thought the first 10 pages were so cute, and then it just…kept being cute and worse, trying so hard to be cute and quirky, and then the narrative stopped making sense and surprising things happened just to be surprising and an imminent scientist proposes that listening to K-pop changed the genomes of pandas, and I just, in the words of Jared, cannot....more
An unexpected delight: the first half was stronger than the second half, but I'd definitely read more from this seriesAn unexpected delight: the first half was stronger than the second half, but I'd definitely read more from this series...more
America’s poverty is not for lack of resources. We lack something else. Books about poverty tend to be books about the poor. It’s been this way for mo
America’s poverty is not for lack of resources. We lack something else. Books about poverty tend to be books about the poor. It’s been this way for more than a hundred years…these kids of books help us understand the nature of poverty. They are vital. But they do not—and in fact cannot—answer the most fundamental question which is: Why? Why all this American poverty? I've learned that this question requires a different approach. To understand the causes of poverty, we must look beyond the poor. Those of us living lives of privilege and plenty must examine ourselves. Are we—we the secure, the insured, the housed, the college educated, the protected, the lucky—connected to all this needless suffering?
I mistakenly thought this was nonfiction, and it wasn’t until I was a few chapters in that I realized it wasn’t—that’s on me for not knowing what I waI mistakenly thought this was nonfiction, and it wasn’t until I was a few chapters in that I realized it wasn’t—that’s on me for not knowing what I was reading.
I preferred the earlier, less speculative chapters because the later chapters (particularly the one on Schrödinger) made me uncomfortable. I can’t put my finger on why—I generally don’t mind fictionalized accounts, and I also generally subscribe to the view that truths can be found in fiction. But still, I was uncomfortable. Part of that discomfort might have been because of what a creep Schrödinger was, and that’s well-documented to be true.
Labatut makes his point well, and this book (collection of short stories?) is well-written and very engaging. You’re not hit over the head with the themes but it’s clear what they are.
Kristin Hannah tells the forgotten story of the women in Vietnam, the nurses who risked their lives.
There were times this was going to be a five starKristin Hannah tells the forgotten story of the women in Vietnam, the nurses who risked their lives.
There were times this was going to be a five star book for me: it was engaging and moved quickly and something exciting was always happening. But, like, did every man who interacted with her need to fall in love with the main character? And the book ended up being more predictable than I would have liked.
Overall, this was a good book: I appreciated that Hannah is telling this story and that this was clearly a passion project for her, and I’d recommend it to others. I just didn’t find it quite at the same level as The Nightingale.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!...more
My Uchinanchu heritage has always meant a lot to me, but this book made me realize there’s so much I didn’t know. My Grandma survived WWII on Okinawa,My Uchinanchu heritage has always meant a lot to me, but this book made me realize there’s so much I didn’t know. My Grandma survived WWII on Okinawa, and I hadn’t realized until now how truly horrific and traumatizing that must have been for her. ...more
For lovers of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Ten Thousand Doors of January
This one’s a page turner, and I stayed up late to finish it. TherFor lovers of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Ten Thousand Doors of January
This one’s a page turner, and I stayed up late to finish it. There are layers of mysteries here which was engaging and fun. But all the layers meant that we never quite got to know the characters besides June and that makes me question whether this book will really stick with me.
I like time travel, I like fish-out-of-water stories, and I like complicated female protagonists. I’m not sure I found all the reactions and choices believable, but it might just be that we didn’t get enough time with each of the characters.
I’ll likely reevaluate this rating in a couple of months. And once again, I think the publisher-provided summary gives too much away.
I had high hopes for this one: I’ve been obsessed with Vesuvius since I was a child, and I’ve seen the ruins of Pompeii in person. But it fell a littlI had high hopes for this one: I’ve been obsessed with Vesuvius since I was a child, and I’ve seen the ruins of Pompeii in person. But it fell a little short for me (with the exception of Eliza Knight’s chapter, which was compelling and hit so hard emotionally). ...more
I really wanted to love this. I thought the premise of children disappearing related to a super popular YA portal series was amazing, and I expected tI really wanted to love this. I thought the premise of children disappearing related to a super popular YA portal series was amazing, and I expected this to be a cross of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series with Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. And in a way, it was, but unfortunately I found the main character deeply unlikable (thanks mostly to the subtle misogyny that permeates everything he says and does) and, more than that, his actions seemed so random that I couldn’t get comfortable in the story. I’m all for a good redemption arc, but that redemption has to be earned, and it didn’t ring true for me here.
I also think it’s possible that the way the story is told—through journal entries, emails, and recorded interviews—just wasn’t for me and made me feel disconnected from the story.
I’m sure there are other people out there who’ll love this, but the rating here is just my experience with this book.
I'm staying with my in-laws, and they live off Harrison Lake. It seemed appropriate to read a book about the history of the area while we stayed here I'm staying with my in-laws, and they live off Harrison Lake. It seemed appropriate to read a book about the history of the area while we stayed here with them.
Much of this book is a record of who arrived, who died, who married whom, who was born, etc., but in between all of that, there were stories of the first pioneers in Southwest Michigan (who settled at Harrison Lake!), interactions with the Potawatomi, and the Underground Railroad station in Schoolcraft. It was also cool to learn about all these people whose names are still familiar in the area (Harrison, Shaver, Kellogg, Fletcher, and Schoolcraft himself).
I wouldn't recommend this for, like, its riveting story, but it's well-researched with some great gems....more
A great book to read while hanging out in Michigan
Springer is like a modern-day, more laid back Thoreau, and his prose is smart, riddled with literaryA great book to read while hanging out in Michigan
Springer is like a modern-day, more laid back Thoreau, and his prose is smart, riddled with literary allusions, and still very accessible and meditative. ...more