Book Review: The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah

Imagine living in France during World War II.  For sisters Vianne and Isabelle, family has been difficult, their mother dying and their father unequipped to deal with the pain of her death sent his girls away.  Isabelle struggles to find her way. And for Vianne, life has become beautiful - filled with good food, good company, love, happiness, a wonderful husband and finally a beautiful daughter, and plenty - or at least enough. And then the Nazis invade France and life changes. People are being arrested, food becomes scarce, you are cold and tired and fearful. What is important? How would you protect yourself? your friends? your neighbors? 

Read this book and slip into another place and time.

Book Review: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness / Michelle Alexander

Alexander shares how our black and brown men are being rounded up and placed in prisons for drug offenses that are not violent, often for long prison sentences. These criminal experiences and the resulting disruption in life, along with all that comes with having a criminal record - creates an underclass that not only hurts people of color but society in general.

The author believes that we need to listen to what Martin Luther King, Jr proposed - the end of a civil rights movement and the beginning of a human rights movement. 

Book Review: They Called Us Enemy / George Takei

Have you watched Star Trek? Do you remember the character Hikaru Sulu? He was played by George Takei who took the role that offered respect for Japanese American citizens. This was particularly important to him after spending some of his growing up years in a couple of Japanese internment camps during World War II. This graphic memoir shares his story but also shows how history is circular, how we keep repeating the same mistakes, and how paying attention to what happened before can help guide us in our lives today. 

One of my favorite lines from the book is when Takei quotes his father, "Our democracy is a participatory democracy. Existentially it's dependent on people who cherish the shining, highest ideals of our democracy and actively engage in the political process." - talk about lessons for today!

Also, want a sneak peek? Check out his TedX talk: http://www.tedxkyoto.com/en/events/tedxkyoto-special-event/the-power-of-pride-george-takei

Book Review: George and the Big Bang / Lucy & Stephen Hawking

George and Annie again need to save the day when Annie's father, and science itself need to be saved from an evil group, named TOERAG, who wants to discredit science in order to promote fossil fuels. This story is designed for middle school aged children, but Stephen and Lucy Hawking mix fiction and nonfiction into this book so that the reader will learn about space while embroiled in a plot of good against evil. And sometimes it is nice to just return to stories written for younger people. 

Do you like this author? Want to learn more about space? Visit Lucy Hawking's website: https://lucyhawking.com 

Book Review: Unnatural Disasters by Jeff Hirsch

The year is 2049. The seas are rising, storms are rampant, whole cities have disappeared. As Lucy Weaver finds herself in an increasingly unsettled world, she begins to face life differently? How important is school? family? dating? How does one stay warm? get food? protect friends and family?

This is not uplifting reading during a pandemic, but if you want to think about how lucky we still are in our world, despite this virus, you might enjoy this.

Book Review: Let's Call it a Doomsday / Katie Henry

Ellis, both a Mormon and a prepper, is afraid of taking almost any kind of step. She worries that she will not be prepared when something goes wrong, when the end of the world is upon us. And then she meets Hannah who has seen the end of the world in her dreams. And the two become friends.

This is such a cool story about learning where a person fits into a religious organization, in this case Mormon, but it is a pretty universal experience. But also about learning who one is - it touches upon love and religion, appearance, expectations from family and school and self. It is about beginning to define one's self and being open to what is around us.

Book Review: The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers / Maxwell King

I know that you are laughing at me. Who would actually read a book about Fred Rogers - that old time television personality that catered to children in his Keds Sneakers and cardigans? Me - especially after Mrs. Loftus suggested that I read the book.

Fred Rogers was an insightful man who worked very hard to provide educational television for children that would be developmentally appropriate, caring and honest. But there is more to the man. He was a Presbyterian minister, a musician, and he had a great sense of humor. He was a father, he was generally gentle, but even he could lose his temper. This is a must read for those who are interested in religion or education.

Book Review: Three Things I Know Are True / Betty Cullers

Liv's brother Jonah shot himself in the head while visiting his friend Clay who lives across the street. And in that blink of an eye - the whole world changed. Jonah is kept alive in a hospital bed in the living room by a team of care specialists. Liv is no longer allowed to talk to Clay or his mom (spoiler - she doesn't follow directions.) Liv is the person who understands Jonah's needs the best (he communicates very little but there are some grunts and occasional eye contact.) She loves him and still feels connected to him.

What is powerful about this book? In a single moment our lives can drastically change. Sometimes that moment is the birth of a child, sometimes it is the death of a loved one. But what does that mean for those left in that moment's wake? How does one go on?

Book Review: Us Against You / Fredrik Backman

Have you ever read a book that you find yourself reading more and more slowly as the pages creep by because you don't want to get to the end? That was this book for me.

This is the story of a town, a town centered around ice hockey. But it is so much more than that. Fredrik Backman is a genius when it comes to character development. This is the story about perspective, about walking in another's shoes, about love - all kinds of love, about family - both the family that one is born to and the family that one creates, and about sport. The characters are so richly drawn that you cannot possibly find one to hate, even the most vile of characters.

This is the second book in a series - read Beartown first.

Book Review: Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries / Kory Stamper

Read this book to get your nerd on.

Stamper's Word by Word is all about making dictionaries. OK - I know that sounds boring, but there is so much to it and it is really interesting in a learning kind of way.
"The vast majority of people give no thought to the dictionary they use: it merely is, like the universe. To one group of people, the dictionary was handed to humanity ex coili, a hallowed leather-bound tome of truth and wisdom as infallible as God. To another group of people, the dictionary is a thing you picked up in the bargain bin, paperback and on sale for a dollar because you felt that an adult should own a dictionary. Neither group realizes that their dictionary is a human document, constantly being compiled, proofread, and updated by actual, living, awkward people." Kory Stamper
This is a book about that process and all that entails.