The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs

 by Katherine Howe
March 29-April 6, 2020

I remember liking the Physick Book. A lot. Because I love witches and magic. Howe really impressed me with her crafting of the story. And while I remember the general gist of the story, the details are long forgotten. 10 years later, we have a continuation to the story. It probably would have been helpful to get reacquainted with the Physick Book first, but perhaps a better solution would have been to not wait 10 years for a follow-up. That's simply self-indulgent and gratuitous.

This time around, I am considerably less impressed. The repeat characters were hollow and lacked any depth. The fringe characters were pointless. I just didn't find Connie and Sam's relationship to be believable, passionate or event truthful. Connie, who now is in her early 30s, is extremely immature and behaves like someone barely in college. The dialogue had a much younger audience in mind (I know, right?!). There was entirely too much focus on Connie's attempt at tenure and she's always grading papers and ....blah...I'm here for the witches.

There was just no real mystery or drama to support this story. The family "curse" is revealed, with very few oohs and ahhs. It felt vaguely familiar to its predecessor, without any of the intrigue. What I did like, however, was keeping track of the generations of witches in the family, dating back to the late 1600s.

Deliverance   Mercy   Prudence   Patience   Temperance   Faith   Verity   Chastity   Charity

I really wish there would have been more focus on the past witches than the current ho-hum one. And don't get me started on the names of the newest witches, born at the end of this book, again with very little fanfare.

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Marilou is Everywhere

by Sarah Elaine Smith
Feb 9-23, 2020

I happened upon Marilou by chance. A dear friend of mine emailed one day from Chicago to tell me that an old high school friend of hers was doing a book reading at a bar in Cleveland the next night. On that cold, rainy night I was instantly hypnotized by Sarah's voice. I bought the book at the event, which she signed with a thoughtful, joyful passage. I couldn't wait to get started.

The book begins so atmospheric and calming, and I could still hear Sarah's voice reading aloud in my head. I could instantly put myself in that time and place. It was evident that the author meticulously crafted each and every sentence – she has two Master's degrees; fiction and poetry.

"The pond looked alive to me, even the shape of the hills around it... I felt, all at the same moment, that it was valiant for beauty and also so plain that it embarrassed me to belong to it... under the hawthorns, fine dappled mushrooms winked like they had invented themselves..."

Her metaphors were dreamy and yet so descriptive. But at some point, I felt that I was just indulging the poet.

"It was my time and I felt fat. A rose is. The dew of a frigid October. Buster Keaton's beautiful eyes."

I must have read those sentences five times trying to figure out what it had to do with the game of charades two characters were playing (I think – nothing.). What makes a great novel is the character development, but suddenly the characters felt empty and shallow.

"I felt like my words were made out of bones and hot dogs and nonsense."

How does that help the reader? This short book was moving at a snail's pace, and I really wanted to find out what happened, but instead one chapter was entirely devoted to soy sauce. And some excerpts were completely out of character comparative to the perfectly-honed ones:

"And Clinton didn't say about it, so I didn't say about it, and the green fur was was coming back up in divots..."

That feels like it belongs in a different book. The randomness seemed to grow rampant. The plot definitely lost track. When the climax was finally revealed, I found myself appalled at what an absolutely horrible person the so-called protagonist was – unfounded and out of nowhere. I feel like the book would have been better served to stick to a more concise plot and "try" a little less. I grew so very weary of the poetry and the metaphors, I was bored.

There's no doubt Sarah has a talent, it just needs a bit more focus for future novels. Three stars for the friend connection, but really only 2.5.

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The Huntress

by Kate Quinn
Dec 28, 2019-Jan 19, 2020

2020 is off to a good start! The Huntress immediately drew me in with its alternating chapters based on three of the main characters. Definitely a history lesson, definitely not a mystery (in a good way). It's evident right from the jump who the huntress is, but that doesn't in any way take away from the suspense.

I admit I'm mostly interested in France and Poland's role in WWII, so I wasn't as engrossed in Nina's wartime experience from her Russian perspective. However, it must be said that Quinn did her research and introduced me to the Night Witches – fearless Russian women fighter pilots that played a huge role in conquering the Nazis. But dividing the book into thirds, with the first part establishing the background, the middle defining specific details and history, and the last part tying everything together, the middle dragged on a little too long and tried to include too many extraneous elements. This alone is what knocks my rating down to three (and a half) stars from four. I found the 540+ pages a bit gratuitous.

“We’re standing in the ashes of a war like no other – if we don’t try harder to see the shades of gray involved, we’ll find ourselves in the thick of a new one.”

Irregardless, a highly entertaining, suspenseful book loaded with symbolism. Credit the ending for being a real page turner with a satisfying ending.

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Don't Stop Believin'

by Olivia Newton-John
Dec 23-28, 2019

Olivia, I'm hopelessly devoted to you. You were my first music love. I still remember the dances we made up to the Grease soundtrack, a vinyl album that we listened to daily on repeat. But, my sweet, you should let someone else do the writing.

I feel like we all know that Olivia is a goody-goody at heart, but this book amplifies the sweetness to the level of a mouthful of cavities. While all her thoughts are valid, the prose is oversimplified to the point of silliness. We really don't learn much of what we already knew, and I don't really care about the gas cap left off your car or how hilarious you found it. I found myself skimming parts. Plus, the obvious exclusion and glossing over of the real relevant occurrences in her life (missing boyfriend, anyone?). And I really had a hard time connecting with the spiritual healing and visions and herbs and potions that she is so trusting in these days.

Our girl sure has been put through the wringer, and it will be an awful day when she's no longer with us and that sweet voice is silenced. But I will stick to watching Grease, Xanadu and Hard to Hold as much as humanly possible. And of course listening to Please Mr. Please.

And with that, 2019 is a wrap!

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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong
Nov 10-24, 2019

This one was a challenge! What at first seemed a little self-indulgent on the author's part, soon became apparent that Vuong, most simply put, is a poet. People are raving of the beauty in his prose, and I can't disagree, but the sleepy, poetic quality really just disconnected me from the story and the protagonist. It was difficult to form any emotional investment around Little Dog, his mother, or his grandmother.

The novel, written as a letter to Little Dog's illiterate mother, jumped in timeline and stories, but wasn't difficult to follow. The book boasts an "unforgettable revelation," and there were plenty of times that I thought I could see the foreshadowing on the wall, only to be wrong time and time again. Finally, for me, said revelation was a complete letdown, and so quietly revealed, that I nearly missed it.

"What were we before we were we?"

(Beautiful, but not "the" revelation.) A bit of a slow burn with some excruciatingly graphic scenes; maybe a little too abstract for my tastes.

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The Peacock Feast

by Lisa Gornick
July 23-August 18, 2019

A lot happens in this book. Almost too much in the beginning, and it felt a little disjointed, difficult to follow, then it hit its stride and was engrossing to the finish. Spanning from the early 1900s to present day, I found the mid-century stories to be the ones that kept me coming back for more. While some of the timelines lost a little focus, the successful ones gave a payoff that was completely worth it.

The subtle character development of each of the multiple generations of the family unfolds in both heartbreaking and satisfying ways. The character's relationships with one another are believable and surprising. The plot was a bit of a slow burn, but one that I didn't predict. I love that. While I think that it could use some editing and cleaning up of the presentation of facts, I was deeply moved by the ripple effect one action can have on future generations. A unique and original concept that takes just a bit of patience.

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The Editor

by Steven Rowley
July 3-22, 2019

What has happened to time when the 1990s are now considered historical fiction?? Even so, this book was delightful and kind of snuck up on me in an unexpectedly charming way. I adored the protagonist's subtle sense of humor and found myself laughing out loud right from the beginning.

Equally enjoyable were the countless poignant moments between James and all the other characters. James' mother was built up to be cold and heartless, but by the end, the reader can easily empathize. For a while James loses his way with his partner Daniel, but he finds his way back in a way that was endearing and not the least bit forced.

“I posit that any riddle whose answer is woman is inherently unsolvable.” 

Of course no review of The Editor can go without mentioning the elephant Onassis in the room. What a treat to read a fictionalized version of a true historical gem and not feel for one minute like it was made up. Her entrance into the story was delightful. The friendship she formed with James was not only believable, but enviable.

Overall, a lovely story full of wit and wisdom.

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Daisy Jones & the Six

by Taylor Jenkins Reid
June 9-July2, 2019

Documentary style – following a rock band through the height of their career – a super fun premise for a novel that kept it quick-reading and initially half-doubting if it was indeed true or not (did this band actually exist??). The problem is that the further I read, the more cheesy it became, with a lot of "of course" moments in the end. Think of every stereotypical impression people have of rock bands and it's in here – sex and drugs at the top of the list, "of course."

The band is also supposed to be loosely based on my all-time favorite, Fleetwood Mac. However, if you know anything about them, it doesn't really come close. The similarities boil down to one – a  band that rose to stardom in the 70s. The number of band members isn't even the same! FM didn't break up after Rumors! And Daisy as Stevie is a major NO. Not only did their lives not align even fictionally, but Daisy was desperate, pathetic and needy.

The last pages of the book served as a dust jacket of sorts, with all the song lyrics written out. Talk about cheesy! I found this to be a bit indulgent on the author's part, and honestly, just filler. I skimmed the lyrics at best. I don't see how this furthered the story in the least. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I expect a lot of my book choices. In the end it was still fun, just missed the mark of being fun and great.

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The Library Book

by Susan Orlean
April 19-30, 2019

The Library Book is absolutely the author's homage to the library. Explained in the blurb: "weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire ... author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians ..." This is all true, EXCEPT, I wouldn't say the book weaves. It's kind of an unorganized jumble.

"It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever."

All of it was fascinating, from the history of the LA Public Library, to the 1986 fire that destroyed nearly half a million books, to the suspect Harry Peak, but for me this was one case where I would have preferred a linear timeline. And while the main focus should have been on the fire itself, it wasn't. That's what I wanted more of. Everything else was very interesting, but the combinations of so many topics and dates left the book spread a little too thin.

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz

by Heather Morris
April 14-19, 2019

A book that was short on pages, but not on importance. Morris did an incredible job portraying Lale's will and tenacity to survive the horrors of Auschwitz. In a time that seems to flooded with books on WWII, a reader can get a little weary of the subject. But it helped that this one was centered around real people and that the author interviewed him for years before writing it all down. Although it's evident that Lale survives, it didn't ease the stress level of reading what he went though. It's amazing how a person finds ways to risk his own life in order to help others when they have never had to do anything close to it in "real life."

“If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.”

It's difficult to rate a book that is based on facts. Especially these gruesome facts. Of course Lale and Gita's story is one that should be shared and never forgotten, so read this book for that reason alone. Morris is clearly a screenplay writer and it shows here in her debut novel.

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The Girls at 17 Swann Street

by Yara Zgheib
February 9-16, 2019

Super quick read that takes the reader into the mind of an anorexic. The author (whose credentials are eye-poppingly impressive by the way) succeeded in not only writing a book that made me understand the anxiety and mental struggles of anorexia, but also made it so engrossing I couldn't put it down.

It's amazing that as Anna was down to a mere 88 pounds, the people she loved allowed it to happen. While they admitted their mistakes, it's just a fact that people see what they want to see and think they are being protective. It's also fascinating how two people remember stories completely differently. Anna remembers wonderful times and fun trips and her husband remembers her fainting and having to force her to eat.

The writing style and lack of punctuation could be a little distracting at times, but overall the sentences flowed at a rapid pace and the ending leaves the reader cautiously hopeful.

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How to Stop Time

by Matt Haig
Jan 5-17, 2019

First review of the year! I really like an occasional fantastical story that can almost be believable. In How to Stop Time, the overarching theme holds true whether fact or fiction – no one should be alone. At what cost or sacrifice can loneliness ever be justifiable?

"If I could live without doubt what would I do? ...  If I could love without fear of being hurt? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?"

Tom is 439 years old. He's been convinced by the leader of a secret society of equally-aged people that no one can ever find out. The society only has one rule – never fall in love. So he moves around every eight years, never allowing roots to be planted or friends to be made. But, he did personally know Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. These were fun "facts" that kept me invested in this unique plot. And then, this quiet, meandering sweep through four centuries suddenly turns sinister. Luckily, it happened in the last ten percent of the book, because for me there was no going back. It's a shame really. Such a fun concept with real life questions; I think the opportunity was missed to end a better way.

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Vox

by Christina Dalcher
Dec 16-23, 2018

I've been reading nonstop lately. What else is there to do in winter?! And Vox was a super quick read that I busted out in a week.

My first inclination is to call it Handmaid's Tale-Lite. Women are repressed in the name of religion, but it's only been a year in this new way of life, and again, only in the US. Vox is like the Cliff's Notes of a dystopian society. It held my attention and stressed me out, but resolutions came quickly and crises were swiftly resolved. Because of this, it was hard for me to really dwell on the "what-ifs" presented here. But really, what if you could only speak 100 words a day? How would you make them count?

Dalcher does a decent job at character building in minimalist form. Just enough to evoke hatred for most characters. Her vocabulary isn't the best – I hate when people use the word "sex" as an anatomical description – but the simplicity flowed easily and didn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

I also think Vox is a timely parallel, in abstract form, to our current state of affairs. Again, the what-ifs.

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A Short History of Drunkenness

by Mark Forsyth
Dec 8-16, 2018

To finish the full title, A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present. A fun, hilarious history on being drunk. Not drinking in general, but getting hammered. Laugh out loud funny at times, yet still enlightening. A good break between serious novels.

I had to take not of a few funny quotes that are definitely worth repeating at party:

Trying to punch a saber-toothed tiger when you're five sheets to the wind is a nightmare.

To pass an entire day and night in drinking disgraces no one.

The number of accounts of people dropping down dead in a gin shop is phenomenal and depressing.

Crack is always served with crumpets.

He blew his money on whores and oysters.

Forsyth has a great sense of humor. Worth the read if you've ever been known to get overserved.


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The Italian Teacher

by Tom Rachman
Oct 25-Nov 14, 2018

Ultimately, The Italian Teacher is a story about a son's desperate need for approval and acceptance from his selfish, egotistical father. It just took a while to get interesting. I ended up enjoying the book, but it took forever to gain momentum. Bear Bavinsky was a unique character that evoked a ton of rage from me because if his selfishness, jealousy and enormous ego. His son, Pinch, wanted nothing more than for this man to really "see" him, and when he never really did, it was heartbreaking.

I think the book could have been cut down by nearly a third. It tended to drag and I wasn't drawn to keep picking it up in between readings. It was good, not great, although the last portion was the best and easiest to read, and came with a satisfying ending.

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Before We Were Yours

by Lisa Wingate
May 17-June 7, 2018

I wanted to love this. I anticipated that I would rate it a seldom-given five stars. But it was only OK. I found many flaws, but I have ideas on how it would have been better.

It's no secret that I hate politics. (I'm also the first to admit that I am not educated enough to express any public opinion on political matters.) So the beginning of the book dragged for me. To the point where I wasn't sure I could continue on. I just didn't get the relevance. Then, when the author took the reader to the past on a riverboat, I failed to see the connection. Once the children were kidnapped, it started to make more sense.  I found it extremely difficult to read about the abuse the children suffered while in the orphanage. I also had doubts whether these tales were actually based on a true story. But because the author continued to refer to a place specifically, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, I deducted that this must be based on facts.

I just don't think that the story benefited in having the connection to the present as far as the political "controversy" and the story of Avery, one of the adopted children's granddaughter. The present-day portions were shallow and sloppily told. It was too much. The novel would have been great on its own if it had just focused on the Foss children and what became of each of them. Avery was a selfish, self-absorbed, unlikeable character. I also failed to see why finding out your grandmother was a "river gypsy" and adopted was such a scandalous fact. So what?

Overall, good potential, poor execution.

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Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward
April 8-21, 2018

A dysfunctional family whose story is told mainly through the eyes of a 13-year old boy who calls his mother by her first name. Jojo needs to be the father to his young sister and the man of the house, emulating his grandfather, because his mother is a meth addict and his father is in jail. Oh, and he sees dead people.

A quick and interesting perspective on the "unburied" but the child neglect was tough to get through. The deeper underlying statements on racism are not for me to judge. But Ward succeeded in developing sympathetic characters that I wanted to know more about. It's crazy what drugs do to an already selfish, immature woman. Leonie knew she needed to be a better mother to her kids, but she chose her boyfriend and meth over them. Every time. I think this is not too uncommon in real life either.

Overall, a profound and poetic take on parenting, racism and drug abuse in the south. Painful to read, but still so important.

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The Address

by Fiona Davis
Feb 23-Mar 13, 2018

I saw the Dakota just one time. I wish I would have paid more attention to it. At the time we were more interested in heading to the park to see Strawberry Fields. In the first few chapters of The Address, I was enthralled. How cool to take a look back at the opening days of this famous residence. The story is told in alternating chapters from 1885 and its beginning to "present" day 1985 and its hundred-year anniversary. It feels it's almost needless to say, but the 19th century parts were incomparably better than the modern day perspective. Every single character in the present was unlikable. The dialogue was laughable. But the continued story of Theo and Sara was romantic and fun. And then the story derails...

I bought into this one for the historical fiction aspect, but I somehow missed that it was also a mystery. A silly, trite and far-fetched "twist" that lost all credibility in my eyes. As the two timelines begin to merge, the present day characters become even less likable and the mystery from the past is totally unconvincing. Did people really get wrongfully committed to asylums when they "got in the way?" I might have to read up on that (if I cared enough to keep this book top-of-mind).

Three stars, but only for the first half.

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All is Not Forgotten

by Wendy Walker
Feb 10-22, 2018

I'm not actually sure how this one got on my radar. It's from 2016 and although I read pretty slow, I try to stay as current as possible. I am not at all a fan of thriller/suspense novels either. But the psychological aspect of this one piqued my interest.

I enjoyed the passive voice of the narrator from the outside looking in. Then I realized what a narcissist he was an I began to like him less. I understand the mentality of doing anything to protect your family, but to do so with a holier-than-thou attitude became a bit much.

I also understand the need to drive the point of the brutality of rape to the forefront, but the graphic way in which it was told was nearly unbearable. Reading about such horrific acts in so much detail is not the least bit enjoyable.

The way the characters all became woven together was satisfying and well developed – until it became a little too convenient. Any woman reading about a brutal rape is naturally going to want to see justice for the rapist, and we just didn't get that here.

Overall though, it was a quick read that did offer a decent amount of suspense. Just not the genre that I would normally choose.

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The Sound of Gravel

by Ruth Wariner
Nov 19-Dec 3, 2017

I try to be respectful of other religions, whether or not I agree or understand the point of view of different faiths. But I simply cannot wrap my mind around polygamy. I don't think that God would want children to suffer in poverty and malnutrition all in His name. And for men to have 20, 30, 40-plus children that he can't even begin to provide for ... I find it selfish, not holy.

Ruth Wariner is a brave woman for putting her horrific childhood on paper for us to read. There's no doubt that her mother loved her 10 children, but unfortunately she loved her disgusting predator of a husband more. Maybe that's simplifying the matter, but complicating it with religion somehow seems to condone his unholy actions.

“Mom couldn’t teach me that because she didn’t know herself. She couldn’t show me how to be happy, only how to barely survive.”

This book made me sad, angry and left me feeling helpless. The world already faces enough poverty and neglect; choosing a lifestyle where these things are a given is ludicrous. Unfortunately, stories like Ruth's will continue to be exposed and we'll still feel powerless.

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