November

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey
Never have I ever...finished an audio book in just one day. Never. That is how compelling, fascinating, shocking, mind-blowing this book is. Written by the reporters who blew the lid off Harvey Weinstein and his sexual harassment and abuse for decades, these two women and their editor are just simply BADASSES. Step by step, this book takes us through the process, showing us their work on Trump and Kavanaugh as well. But it is Weinstein who is the center of this investigation and it will quite literally blow your mind. You will hear of people you viewed as heroes who are small, dark characters in reality. And you will see true heroic women who risked it all in order to do what is right. If you're a woman, read this book. If you know a woman, read this book. If you've been harassed or abused or assaulted, or know someone who has, read this book. If you are desperate for truth in today's world, read this book. It is a masterpiece of journalistic investigation, the power of the press, and the inspiration of true heroes who were willing to put it all on the line to expose the truth. Wow. Just wow.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Having read previous solid thrillers by Jewell, I know she constructs plausible plot lines, creates tension, and develops interesting characters. In her latest, she continues her streak. Set in England as always, Libby is a young woman, just turning 25, whose life as a kitchen designer is staid and rather boring. Yet when she receives a letter telling her that her birth parents left a home for her to be given on this birthday, it sets into motion a long deliciously twisted trail of who Libby really is as well as her intriguing family members. This is an easy read that will keep you turning pages.

Twenty-One Truths about Love by Matthew Dicks
This delightful book consists of lists, one after the other, written by a quirky, unique, hilarious man who has quit his teaching job, opened a bookshop, and has a wife who wants a baby. His observations on life are spot on and made me laugh out loud, particularly ones about teaching and selling books:
“Read more. It allows you to borrow someone else’s brain, and will make you more interesting at a party.”
“The single greatest thing you can do to guarantee your future success is to read a lot.”
“If the childhood version of yourself would hate the adult version, you suck at life.”
“Darth Vader killed billions of innocent people then saved his only son. This did not make him a good guy. Just a selfish practitioner of nepotism.”
“The most important lessons taught by teachers have little or nothing to do with academics.”
“The best administrators understand that teachers are more knowledgeable about instruction than they could ever be.”
His list called The Worst People in the World
“ ‘Let’s start off with an icebreaker’ are words no human has ever wanted to hear.”
“I’m looking for a blue book. Tiffany blue. It’s about a woman I think.” Yup - I had customers in the bookstore who expected me to find this!
“The youngest skydiver ever was four years old, but that doesn’t mean that he was brave. He just had assholes for parents.”
“You should be required to read a book for every ten selfies you take.”
“What you permit, you promote.”
“A person is more than a person. A person is the promise of everything that person can be.”
'Nuff said. Buy this book for everyone you know:)

Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins
In 1969, the president of Yale decided it was time to admit women. Was that due to his enlightenment that women were equal to men? Or due to his acknowledgement of their ability to compete in an academic setting with men? Nope. It was because they were losing male students to Harvard because...yep, Harvard had women. This book chronicles the four years of those first female students: the constant fight for little things, like locks on bathroom doors, and big things, like blind admissions regardless of gender and hiring more female professors (one had to really search hard for any females as professors, much less in leadership roles at Yale). Historian Anne Perkins follows six intriguing women and weaves in the social, cultural, and academic happenings that impacted this first class of Yale women. At times, I found the statistics to drag the story down a bit, but each time I found my interest waning, she picked it back up and returned to the six women of focus. All together, an intriguing non-fiction of how far we have come, and how far we still have to go, when it comes to equal rights. 

The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup
Looking for that next dark, creepy, murder mystery written by a Scandinavian author, the kind that reminds one of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series? Here it is...two detectives - one female badass cop with an independent streak and no bullshit about her + an interpol cop with a history, quirky behavior, and an insatiable curiosity, some seriously dead bodies (as in, mutilated, gory, yeah you get the picture), a Danish minister whose daughter disappeared the previous year and is presumed dead (wait for it...), and some fingerprints that point the cops in 'interesting' directions. Throw in a few psychopaths, some stalking, a collection of chestnut dolls, and you won't be able to put this one down. Just like Girl, it is long but that is because the author really develops the plot and the characters so it is all worth it, as the final third of the book is fairly mind-blowing. 

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
Per previous blog posts, it is obvious I am an Elizabeth Strout fan (ie. Olive Kittredge, Olive Again, My Name is Lucy Barton, Anything is Possible). This was her very first book. Does it show? A bit, as the tension is weak but wow, it still shows the depth of her writing talent and her ability to draw characters that makes one feel as if we are inside their heads. It is the story of a mother and her daughter and the choices one makes in life. Yep, that's about it - see what I mean about tension? However, I was completely engrossed in this book, wondering where these two women's lives would go. If you like Strout, it is definitely worth the read.

October 2.0

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Admittedly, I have not been a huge fan of Patchett in the past; she lost me with State of Wonder (such a weird book). However, this new one is a slam-dunk, cannot miss, five-star read! I love me a good family saga, and this one hits every correct note. First, it begins with a quirky, odd setting - the Dutch house, named thus because of the Dutch family that built it and lived in it, with all the encompassing sadness held within their walls. However, this story is about the next family who buys the run down old mansion in a well-to-do suburb of Philadelphia and tries to make it their home. First and foremost are Danny and Maeve, brother and sister with the real estate developer father, abandoned by their mother, raised by the two women who cook and clean for them, emotionally neglected by their stepmother, making their own way in the world of the 1960's and beyond. Maeve may be my most favorite literary character in quite some time; she is brilliant, loyal, honest to a fault, determined, righteous, and thoroughly authentic. And if you enjoy a good audio book, Tom Hanks tells this story and is one of the best narrators I have ever heard. Seriously, read this book.

The Women of Copper County by Mary Doria Russell
Mary Doria Russell could put out her grocery and I would buy it; I have read every one of her books and loved them all. She is unique in her variety of topics: sci-fi The Sparrow and Children of God, Westerns in Doc and Epitaph, Otherworldly in Dreamers of the Day, WWII history in Thread of Grace, and now social justice in this story of union organizers at the beginning of the 20th century. Big Annie Clement, a real person of the early union movement in the upper peninsula of Michigan is quite a woman. Standing well over six feet tall, she begins and maintains a strike of the copper miners. We get to see the best and worst of humanity: the manager of the mine who will not negotiate nor bend for any reason; the journalist who feels compelled to share the heroism of the women and children; Mother Jones, the fiery union activist who traveled the country in support of unions; the women and children who suffer for the corporations who ignore the safety of their husbands and fathers; and Annie, who carries a heavy flag at the head of each parade, who is jailed, beaten, and starved. I had forgotten the value of unions that were needed during these times of abuse, the loss of life during strikes as well as work time, and the heroes who rose up to the challenge. It is not the happiest book due to the content, however, but I admire Russell for putting this story back into the public eye.


On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger

I dare anyone to read this book and feel good about ordering from Amazon, being rude to a call-center employee, or being impatient at a fast-food restaurant. Yikes, working a low wage job in America is not easy, nor is it profitable, or good for one's health. Journalist Emily Guendelsberger goes to three different places of employment, works for a month, gathers stories from others, and has now written an explosive, often wry and funny, frequently shocking, story of her time at an Amazon fulfillment center, a call center, and an Oakland, California McDonald's. Reminiscent of Nickeled and Dimed, it takes a different direction as life has changed over the last twenty years, as has technology. This was truly eye-opening.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
It is hard to know where to begin with this one. Non-fiction, incredibly well written and researched, often uncomfortable, frequently depressing, sometimes shocking, quite provocative, ultimately powerful and unforgettable, but probably not for everyone. Lisa Taddeo, a well-respected journalist, interviews and relates the story of three women and their sexual lives. Yes, it's about sex. Each woman is uniquely herself; Maggie, a young troubled woman who has accused her high school English teacher of abuse from years ago; Lina, a lonely married woman with young children, involved in an affair with an old high school flame; and Sloane, a privileged woman and restaurant owner, who has an open marriage and a husband who likes to watch her have sex with others. I told you, not a book for everyone. There were many times when I felt like I wanted to take a shower, yet I was also fascinated by each woman's choices, her justifications, her humiliation, her sense of power, her helplessness, her victimization. Ultimately, we humans are sexual beings and this book provides many conversation starters about what that means.

Brain Rules: 12 Principles For Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina
As always, I am fascinated with any non-fiction book about brains, particularly as it relates to how we all learn. This was a fantastic listen from libro.fm (this company benefits your local indie bookstore, rather than Amazon - I'm a huge fan!). However, I think this book would also be very engaging to read as well. It is organized into the twelve chapters and the author uses intriguing anecdotes to relate how sleep, exercise, stress, genetics, etc. all play into how our brain works. I highly recommend this one to my teacher friends as it explained a few things to me, like how does one child survive trauma and abuse and succeed while another child from the exact same family struggle for years? Fascinating book.

October

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
What if the famous Yale secret societies were more than secret? What if they were...other worldly? Deadly? Full of dark magic, evil, and death? Yep, that would be a fascinating story, wouldn't it? In Bardugo's first venture into adult fiction, she takes the infamous "I see dead people" to an entirely new level. Galaxy (aka Alex) is a new freshman at Yale, with her admission aided by the Dean in order to be the new acolyte for Lethe House, the secret society tasked with the job of keeping all the other secret societies in line. Good luck with that, as all those wealthy, privileged, entitled brats like to mess around with magic in order to create opportunities for power and financial gain, regardless of the 'little people' it might harm...including Alex. However, Alex has a secret weapon, her ability to see the ghosts among us. This has created truly horrific experiences in Alex's childhood (warning: instances of violence, drug use, rape are disturbing), and definitely cause unlikely scenarios once she's at college. If you like horror, mystery, ghost stories, and characters who are rather 'complicated,' I cannot recommend this one highly enough. It scared the bejesus out of me at times, but I seriously could not put this book down. Bardugo is a master storyteller, and thanks to the ending, she's got lots more tales to tell about Yale and their creepy societies.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Remember Olive Kittredge, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 2009? Well...shes baaaack! And as much as I loved the original, I think I loved this second book even more. Olive is still the curmudgeon that she has always been - passing judgment on the neighbors in her small Maine town, fighting with her son, badgering her second husband. Yet Olive also stops and listens to their stories, shows her former students that she saw something inside of them that was worthwhile, and ultimately details what life is like as we age, how the view narrows as our bodies betray us, and how we must find worth in a small space. Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite authors, writing in a clear sparse style, not mucking up the story with unnecessary verbiage, and creating stories of real life and real people. Oh, how I loved this book. If you missed Olive the first time around, I highly recommend going back and revisiting this book before going on to the sequel; you will not regret it.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson is truly an iconic writer. Having been awarded the Newberry for her children's book, Brown Girl Dreaming, as well as winning numerous awards for other books, Woodson now creates a coming-of-age story involving an African-American family in Brooklyn. She follows three generations, focusing mainly on the women: grandmother, a survivor of a horrific race war years ago, still carrying the scars; mother, a young teenage mom who had dreams of her own; and the daughter, abandoned by the mother as she pursues those dreams, living through 9/11 and its aftermath, forging a life for herself in the 21st century. This was one of the best 'listens' I have ever heard (from libro.fm) - incredibly talented narrators reading a gorgeously written book. I wept over this one and was so moved by the story, the themes, the incredible characters.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

If you like wickedly tense dystopia, this book will totally satisfy you. Think Hunger Games where the contestants are Handmaid’s. Then sprinkle in some Mean Girls and a little bit of crazy from The Crucible...and then set it all in the village from The Lottery. Sixteen year old girls (ie. future wives) head out to a remote area in the woods in order to dispel their ‘magic’ that destroys men. Traditions are hard to break, and these young girls face rebellion in their own ranks, power struggles, poison, violence, invaders, and the elements. Yet Tierney is the hero we all cheer for, relentlessly innovative and courageous. Thanks to @libro.fm for this amazingly told story - some of the best narration I have ever heard. I listened every chance I got and was blown away by the ending. Please please please tell me there’s going to be a sequel????

Frankly in Love by David Yoon
I am not usually a YA drama reader, but I had heard great things about this book so I decided to listen to it on libro.fm.  SO glad I did! Delightful narrator telling a delightful, yet also very topical, story. Frank Lee (get it?? the title!!) is a high school senior whose parents have disowned his older sister after she marries an African-American man. She had done everything right - studied constantly, went to Harvard, you name it - but they expected a Korean marriage. This book covers Frank's romantic life, as well as his friends', and his intriguing dynamics within the family. Will Frank live up to all his parent's expectations or will he rebel? So many funny moments, some tragedy and sadness, some racial insensitivity explored in a thoughtful way, I highly recommend this book.

The Whisper Man by Alex North
I had read many scary reviews of this book, so of course I ordered it for my BOTM club choice! Admittedly, the first 20% or so thought about being rather Stephen King-ish, but ultimately it is just a very solid police procedural mystery. Following the accidental death of his wife, Tom and his young son Jake move to a small English town and buy the 'scary' house. Each plot piece is methodically laid out, with skeletons, nosy neighbors, missing children, questionable schooling, and some very dedicated police detectives. Admittedly, I did not really like reading this one at night but I had to as I just could not put it down. If you like very British dark mysteries, this book is a good choice.