A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet

 

Amy  

fiction

In A Children’s Bible, a group of teenagers and smaller kids are left to entertain themselves while their parents spend their summer reunion vacation at a large rental house. As expected, the kids get into a fair bit of mischief. Later, the story deepens to indicate some imminent destruction of life as they know it. The kids feel this is due to a lack of concern, improvement, or preparation by previous generations.  Disgusted by their parents’ behavior and negligence, they run away more than once. However, they are impeded by weather conditions and end up being stuck in a dangerous situation.

The framework described above is only part of the story. There are a ton of references to bible stories—some overt and some which require more thought to see the parallels.  As someone who is, admittedly, not a bible expert, I was able to pick up quite a few references. But I’m sure I missed many. I won’t give them away because trying to identify these references was the most entertaining part of the experience of reading this book. Other than having that game to play, I found this short novel perplexing. Sometimes I questioned what was going on. It was frequently bizarre and unrealistic (much like the bible, I suppose). But it took a few sharp turns, morphing into something different than it had been.

I think I would’ve liked it more if the story was not so odd. It tries to be a book of warning about climate change yet it falls short by being vague and unfocused in this regard. The ending was sort of left dribbling out its last lifeblood without explaining anything other than the fact that older generations have left an injured world for their kids to inherit. That is not new information in and of itself. I was left feeling that the moral of the story failed because it was buried in the unbelievable, unlikely tale.

During our book club discussion which took place after I wrote the review above, I heard an interpretation that actually made a lot more sense of the tale. The parents serve as a representation of the big companies/governments who actually have power to significantly improve the global environment but have chosen, instead, to only sometimes take action of minimal steps and largely ignore the human population's concerns and future. That makes me appreciate Lydia Millet's intentions more but her main message was buried underneath all the meaningless, distracting religious symbolism. So I am sticking with my original rating.

The audiobook was narrated by Xe Sands. As with the other novel I’ve heard that she narrated, she sometimes spoke too quickly and/or not clearly enough so that I missed what she said and had to rewind. She went too quickly sometimes when throwing around the names of the many characters, making it difficult for me to track who was doing what. Her voice acting was good and she had a decent vocal repertoire, but the other complaints keep her grade at a B.

Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam

Amy  

memoir

This audiobook is less like a book and more like an audio documentary of Paul Simon’s music. It was produced from a series of “sessions” in which Simon met with the famous author/journalist Malcolm Gladwell and journalist/podcaster Bruce Headlam. It dives into Simon’s songwriting—his aims, his accomplishments/failures, his ideas/strategies, his reflections—and also analyzes his songwriting process.

Listening to these interviews made me so happy. It would literally put a smile on my face frequently as I listened to Simon explain his happy accidents and his in-depth understanding of musical theory. He’s been so interested in duplicating sounds that intrigue him while also being open to so many collaborative ideas with others. He’s a quiet man with many ideas. He also appears to be most satisfied when deep into his music.

There was a good bit of actual music played—from new performances captured by Gladwell/Headlam to old recordings. It was fun, during their discussion of musical ideas, when Simon would say, “Here, let me show you.” Hearing his thoughts on his hits and misses was enlightening.  By including some of his collaborators and fans in this “book”, Gladwell filled in the big picture.

Gladwell, in his typical data-based fashion, was able to make a study of Simon’s songwriting by first identifying that his style of creating art is experimental. He also recognized and highlighted Simon’s incredible ability to recall details from his youth, similar to the way some athletes are able to remember all the plays in a specific game from decades before. With Simon’s memory, his drive to go after specific sounds and rhythms that interest him, and his willingness to experiment and let other people’s ideas make their way into the resulting songs, he has managed to continue to have a long, successful musical career in which he is always creating new material.

My only complaints are few and they are with writing/production choices—not the actual material presented within. Miracle and Wonder sometimes repeated points and comments made earlier. The number of things repeated felt like too much to me. Secondly, between “chapters”, there was an unusually long break—about 5 seconds.  That choice just bugged me.

I guess you could say this audiobook was “narrated” by Malcolm Gladwell because he did frequently speak directly to the reader.  His clarity and effective speaking earns him an A from me. You could tell he really had fun during this project.

 

   

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

Amy  

fiction, historical fiction

The Last House on the Street is a novel about two women and two different time periods.  In 1965, Ellie becomes involved in the efforts to bring voting rights to the black population in the southeastern United States. She is 20 years old and white. Her family and friends don’t understand why she wants to risk her own safety for the cause. In 2010, Kayla is a young widow and moving into the house of her dreams that she and her husband designed. It’s down the street from the house where Ellie grew up and is nestled in dark, creepy woods which are said to be haunted. Also, there is a strange woman who seems to harbor ill will towards Kayla.

I found myself quickly caught up in the stories of both women and wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen. Both women were living with consequences of the choices they had made.  Sometimes the burdens of those choices were stressful and sometimes they were rewarding. While their choices may have seemed outlandish to their families and friends, these characters had their reasons. Both had to figure out how to make peace for themselves.

While this wasn’t my favorite Diane Chamberlain novel, I did enjoy it. Some parts were extremely tragic but the main characters were worth getting to know.

I listened to the audiobook and read the Kindle, but mostly the audiobook.  The narrator was Susan Bennett and she did a great job as usual.  She is a good voice actor and has a large repertoire of voices. However, given that large repertoire, I was disappointed that she did not use different voices for Ellie and Kayla.  If not for that major flaw, I probably would’ve given Bennett an A+ on this audiobook. Alas, I’m dropping her to an A- because that really bugged me. I also have to say that her pronunciation of “kudzu” may be the way Google says it is pronounced in America, but it is NOT the way it is actually pronounced in the southern United States by anyone I know in Georgia or North Carolina. Sadly, the word “kudzu” was used dozens of times and, every time, I cringed at her pronunciation and was pulled out of the story.

   

Graphic Novels: Runaways Volumes 1 & 2 and Crossover Volume 1

This year I'm going to try to do a better job of keeping up with graphic novels. So much to read, so little time... -Lynnie 

 

 

Runaways Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home

Runaways Vol. 2: Best Friends Forever

By Rainbow Rowell & Kris Anka

 

So... these were tough for me. 5 stars for story, 3 for artwork, so a 4 overall.

I'm an old-school Runaways fan from whence they sprang from the imagination of Brian K. Vaughn, then were carried on through the minds of Whedon and Moore. I had my doubts about the new incarnation in large part because, as a fan of Rainbow Rowell's contemporary fiction, I had my doubts about Rowell as a comic author. I worried that it was just another comic PR stunt (see Jodi Picault's Wonder Woman) that would ruin this cast of characters I so adore. And so, I waited to read it. All these years (& successful volumes later I might add), I've finally decided to jump back in and I'm so glad that I did!    

Full apologies to Rowell, I should have had more faith! I loved the direction she
took the characters (and not just because she resurrected my beloved Gert), but because she treated them, and the experiences they've had, with the respect they deserved. They sat in the discomfort, they talked about some stuff, they also ignored some stuff because they are still young and dumb and learning. It was just exactly what I wanted it to be. 

That said, I'm sorry to say I don't love the style of Kris Anka, though I'm sure over time it will grow on me. I feel this way whenever characters I know well get a makeover so I know it's a me issue and not a Kris Anka issue. The characters just don't look the way my brain is used to seeing them. 

I was glad to see them follow up with Klara in Volume 2 and, more than once, I laughed out loud at these no-longer-quite-so-young people. I gasped at the final page of Volume 2, so I can't wait to see what happens in Volume 3 which is always a good sign.

I'm eager to keep reading the series though I'm going to try to put some space and a few books between my reading just to make it last a little while and not blaze through. Overall, I'm very happy to be back with some old fictional friends. 

Crossover Vol. 1: Kids Love Chains

by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw (Artist), Dee Cunniffe (Colourist), & John J. Hill (Letterer)

This was a fun book based on a really interesting idea. The characters we all know and love from various fictional universes appear in the real world in Denver, CO and, as one would expect, chaos ensues. Eventually, a super-powered being puts a force field around Denver with the idea that the fictional characters can fight it out or sort it out amongst themselves while the rest of the world carries on.

Of course, life is never quite that simple is it? Fictional characters have escaped Denver and are generally rejected by society or wanted as criminals. It's no surprise that most of the comic characters in this series are smaller, lesser known, or independent characters; Superman and Iron Man don't need this kind of exposure. Still, there are cameos by characters you will recognize and each of those is amusing. Without the "major" characters, though, the story itself is still strong and engaging. It has to be because it doesn't have beloved characters to lean on as a crutch, and I really appreciated that.

I didn't think the big end reveal was particularly shocking, but I enjoyed watching it unfold none the less. There is one character however who could have been written almost entirely out of this book. Other than starting the fire that sent Ellie on the run, I've yet to see what Ryan is going to bring to this story but I hope they'll get to that in Volume 2. I'm eager to see what happens next in this land of chaos. So far it's one heck of a ride! 

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Amy   

historical fiction, women's fiction

In 1791, Nella has been providing assistance (sometimes illegal) to women her whole life via tinctures, ointments, and powders. She inherited her mother’s apothecary and has kept it very secret in London. Twelve year old Eliza is sent to pick up her mistress’ order from Nella and, through a series of events, becomes an unintentional bringer of trouble for Nella.

Meanwhile, in current day London, Caroline is on her tenth wedding anniversary trip by herself after leaving her husband in America. In her effort to be spontaneous, she discovers an old glass vial and sets out to find out more about the interesting artifact’s history.

While Nella’s story from the 1700s grew on me the more her story deepened, Caroline’s story was much more interesting at the start.  But both stories became equally compelling and I really liked The Lost Apothecary! Nella’s story began similarly to several other books I’ve read so I presumed it wouldn’t be very original. But her story grew more complex the more I read. Meanwhile, Caroline’s unexpected adventure on her first day in London was fun. And her attempts at pulling herself up out of the abyss was admirable. I liked her attitude. She felt genuine. The reader suspected how their two storylines would connect but the way the tale was woven by Sarah Penner kept me hooked.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by three different women. Lorna Bennett read the part of Nella. I did not love the voice she gave to Nella. It was very heavily Haunted Mansion-esque in tone—doom, gloom, and overly spooky. However, when Bennett voiced other characters, she was terrific. So she has a great vocal repertoire and she’s a good voice actor. I just didn’t love her choice for Nella’s voice. Therefore, I have to give her a B+ for this one. Lauren Anthony voiced Caroline and she felt authentic. Her British accent wasn’t perfect but she gave it a good try. And she had a good repertoire of voices. Her voice acting was right for her characters. I’ll give her an A-. Lauren Irwin voiced Eliza and she was a good voice actor with a nice repertoire of voices. She gets an A although she had the smallest portion of the audiobook.

   

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Lynnie

science fiction

I admit that I find time travel stories hard to resist in general, but often find them predictable- that was not the case in Mike Chen's Here and Now and Then. The adventure follows Kin Stewart, an agent for the Temporal Corruption Bureau in 2142. However, when a mission goes wrong and Kin gets stranded in the 1990s he begins to live his life as a man out of time. When 2142 comes back for him, however, Kin has to figure out how, or even if, he can save both parts of himself.

I absolutely loved the idea of this novel and it did not disappoint. Chen's characters held my attention from the beginning and I found myself constantly torn between how I wanted everything resolved. The beauty of the story is that, generally, all of the characters are making the best choices they can with the options available to them and I found myself rooting for every one of them! I think this is the rare science fiction book that would appeal to non-sci-fi fans as well since it doesn't get too bogged down in the intricacies of time travel or science. It's really about the people and how the effects of time travel impact them and their lives. I did have some issues with the relationships which is why the story didn't get 5 stars. There's a lot of manipulation that I didn't appreciate and even if it's theoretically justifiable, a lot of it made me furious in the moment, so keep that in mind. BUT the characters are fictional and not aspirational so I put it aside & enjoyed the adventure. Other fans of time travel books are likely to feel the same way but if manipulative relationships are a trigger for you, you may not. 

I also realized that I have several other books by Mike Chen already in my to-be-read pile and I hadn't connected them all until I looked at his author page, so I am very eager to read those as well now. Clearly, he's an author whose ideas I find appealing.

 

 

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Amy  

historical fiction

Osla and Mab became friends when they were both employed by a code-cracking arm of the British military during WWII.  Osla had been raised as a lady in a wealthy family and she even dated Prince Philip before he married Queen Elizabeth. (Osla's character is based on a real person.) Mab’s family struggled financially but she was driven to do better for herself and she set out to meet an educated man with whom to live comfortably. Wanting to aid the war effort, both women got hired for top-secret roles and were billeted together in the Finch household. Mab and Osla helped Beth Finch get hired in the code-breaking section too. We are made to know that these friends will have some sort of falling out at the end of the war. One of them has been wrongly placed in an asylum and needs the other two to help her get out.

I was drawn into The Rose Code immediately.  How can you not get behind women trying to improve their situations and find something meaningful to do with their time in 1940s England? The little mysteries were not difficult to guess along the way but the story-weaving was well done and engaging. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to tear them apart and why someone would desire to get rid of one of them by sending her to an asylum. The characters all felt real and each of the main three protagonists had interesting storylines of their own. The ups and downs of their lives were very compelling.

While set during WWII and based around characters breaking German and Russian coded messages in order to help the Allied troops, I wouldn’t really call this a “war novel” because it didn’t involve much in the way of battles or include the hardships suffered by those being targeted by Hitler’s regime. Rather, it was a story about people trying to do their best in difficult times. I really enjoyed the novel, including the epilogue by the author explaining the realities and the fictions within. Of the three novels I’ve read by Kate Quinn, this is definitely my favorite!

The narrator was Saskia Maarleveld who always does a terrific job. This novel was one of the best I’ve heard from her—great voice acting and a large vocal repertoire including male voices. The only thing holding me back from giving her a + is that Mab had a low female voice and there were dialogues between her and male characters a couple times in which it was hard to distinguish which character was speaking. I give her a very solid A.

   

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Amy  

historical fiction, fiction

In Great Circle, Hadley is a current day actress starring in a movie in which she portrays Marian. Marian had been a female pilot who began flying as a young teenager in 1930. She disappeared during her attempt at flying a great circle around the Earth. (At the beginning, the author explains that a great circle is the largest circular cross-section, in the exact center, of a sphere.)   Mostly focused on these two characters’ points of view with the story flowing between their two timeframes, Hadley and Marian happen to share the commonalities that they were both unconventionally raised by their uncles, both are adventurers at heart, both wanted to make something of themselves, and both had trouble starting their journeys. The story is, at its core, an epic family drama of Marian’s family, beginning with her parents and playing forward, mostly chronologically.

The summary above does not relay the depth and beauty of this novel. It is a love letter to travel, adventure, and freedom. There are several different stories centered around travel—on land, sea, and air—and modes of transportation. Marian’s attempt at flying a great circle is not the only circling aspect of this story. The whole novel actually comes full circle—with several pieces coming back around to close the circle with connections. Great Circle includes a lot of death-induced situations where people step up to support those who need it. There is grand adventure but mostly in small towns and hidden places. While there isn’t a lot of explicit sex, a good bit of this novel involves sex. Sex is almost another character. It is a weapon, a trap, a tool, a strategy, a compulsion, an outlet, an escape, a duty, a distraction, and a connection.

I really enjoyed Maggie Shipstead’s writing. Her novel was somehow both circumventive—telling a story by circling around it—and direct. There were many different tales yet they were linked. Shipstead would sometimes diverge into broader histories of time. For example, she explained the history of an area of the country since the beginning of time and made that fit into the big picture. I couldn’t wait to find out where Shipstead was going to take things. She would write of circumstances before they were fully explained, thereby allowing the reader to try to figure out how the puzzle pieces would fit together.

None of the characters were particularly loveable at first but they all grew on me. They felt authentic. I loved the way characters’ connections were woven skillfully throughout. I especially appreciated how the beginning of each chapter began with a contextual relationship of time to prior sections. Whereas most novels that span large periods of time simply put a date at the beginning of each chapter, Shipstead added the amount of time that had elapsed. For example, “Missoula, May 1927, Three months later” and “England, June 1944, Six months after the torpedo”. This was exceptionally helpful since I was listening to the audiobook and it’s never easy to remember time periods when you can’t just flip back to the last chapter and see its date compared to the current chapter. I truly wish every novel did this.

Also, there was an originality of storyline that I don’t see very often after reading so many books. This novel kept sparking little subterranean points of light within me because it felt like this entire story was brand new. Yes I’d read about female fighter pilots before, yes I’d read plenty of WWII stories (and this isn’t really a WWII story, by the way), yes almost every novel is about relationships, but Great Circle felt “other” and special. I can’t quite define what was so wonderful about it which means that Shipstead was masterful and subtle in her brilliance.  

While not quick-paced, it was perfectly compelling most of the time. There were sections that went on for much too long (the mushroom scene, for example) and I also felt the novel could have done without so many long sections about snowy or oceanic nothingness. I felt the ending was anticlimactic but appropriate. Still, it left me feeling that it didn’t meet the greatness of the rest of the novel.

I was lucky enough to have both the Kindle and audiobook versions from the library so I could swap from one to the other as needed.  The audiobook was narrated by two women, Cassandra Campbell telling Marian’s story and Alex McKenna telling Hadley’s story.  I enjoyed their voice acting. I would’ve liked more variety in Campbell’s repertoire of voices and she also had a robotic voice when not reading about specific characters which was a bummer. But I’ll give them an A- as an ensemble.