Calculating the Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

I absolutely adored the The Lady Astronaut  of Mars byMary Robinette Kowal, featuring the same lead character as this book. I kept waiting for this Elma to grow into that one-- and undoubtedly she will, though it will be in the period between the end of this book and the beginning of the novella. Either way, there still was a lot to enjoy about this story, and the premise has given me lots to think about-- a meteorite strikes the east coast of the US in 1952, wiping out cities and lives, setting the world up for drastic climate change. It also causes drastic changes in the timeline for the US Space program.

Things I liked about this book: the relationship the two Drs York have, both the playfulness, and the support they give each other, how Elma's eyes are slowly opened to the inequality to those Americans not fortunate enough to be born white or male, the friendships that existed and the strength many of the characters showed. Yes, this is an alternative history, and the science behind that "what if" is fascinating, but like Kowal's other books, it is the relationships between the characters that drives the story.

I did listen to the audio version, read by the author, and I admit to willing suspension of disbelief when she tried to do what she thought would be a Charleston accent speaking Yiddish or Hebrew.

From the publisher:
A meteor decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth’s efforts to colonize space, as well as an unprecedented opportunity for a much larger share of humanity to take part.

One of these new entrants in the space race is Elma York, whose experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too—aside from some pesky barriers like thousands of years of history and a host of expectations about the proper place of the fairer sex. And yet, Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions may not stand a chance.

Life and Other Near-death Experiences and also The Art of Forgettingboth by Camille Pagan

Dang it! I meant to write a review of this much sooner. I enjoyed Life and Other Near-death Experiences in a light-reading-but-still-touched-on-deeper-issues kind if way. Plus it had a little Puerto Rico in it. The author did a good job dealing with the art of denial, particularly with regards to medical issues, and while things didn't tie up in a pretty bow (because that would be another book), she tied a firm square knot and left the reader hopeful. 

I loved the twin relationship in the book, too, both for the fraternal twinness and the sibling interaction/support. And, I liked the book enough to seek out her first book, which I have just finished.  

As for The Art of Forgetting, I had more difficulty getting caught up in the story. I've known a number of people with head injuries (enough so that I wore a helmet riding my bike long before it was fashionable or easy to find.) I've experienced first-hand the subtle and not so subtle changes that can occur in an injured brain (someone else's, not my brain, though at times I've wondered if I was the damaged one,beefing the world in a weird slant because of the vehemence of reactions thrown my way.) it's hard, truly. But my issue with the book is that the peri jury relationship between Marissa and her best friend Julia had weird pathologies without a brain injury.  There were a few moments I really liked (like the conversation about swans never forgetting wrongs done them, as opposed to human, who do, which led to the title of the book), or some of the ways the author chose to exacerbate and explore conflict and resolution. 

I'll keep my eye open for future books by this author.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A few weeks back, I read a book by Fredrik Backman, which I picked up strictly because of the title. While I was not as enchanted as I'd hoped, the writing and concept appealed to me. I found out that Backman's first book, A Man Called Ove, was a bit of a sleeper surprise-  it rose to acclaim by word or mouth in Europe, and the cover blurb interested me enough to seek it out.

A Man Called Ove is now read and is on that shelf of books I'm really glad I read. Ove, a curmudgeon, alone, judgmental, set in his ways, is set on his ear by the arrival of a boisterous group of new arrivals in his life: new neighbors who totally upset all the rules with which he defines his world. To top it off, there's this scraggly cat that keeps coming around, and other happenings and mishappenings in the neighborhood.Talk about a heartwarming story. Wow. Told with alternating glimpses of Ove's life already lived, and his present life, the author really draws this character throughly for the reader to see: a man of character, who stays true to his values, but learns to let his firm beliefs reshape themselves. Beautiful.

If you want a book of grand scale, high action, and great tension, go elsewhere. But if you want a book of heartwarming humanness that might even make you smile, come check out this grouch and his world. If you drive on over, make sure it's a Saab, and you obey the neighborhood signs.

Tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, first-novel-or-book, funny, i-liked-it, read, satisfying, thank-you-charleston-county-library, translated, will-look-for-more-by-this-author

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson

The craft of story-telling woven around a engaging story in itself, told with the skill and poignant eye of Joshilyn Jackson. Characters a bit more broken than usual, but every bit as engaging. Good writing, good reading. (And I liked the "reveal" on the title of the book.)

tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, great-title, i-liked-it, read, satisfying, set-in-the-south, thank-you-charleston-county-library, will-look-for-more-by-this-author

This Too Shall Pass, by Milena Busquets

Did absolutely nothing for me-- had to force myself to keep reading out of courtesy to LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program who sent me the book. But, as I told myself when I forced myself to turn the page, "This too shall pass."

Tags: 2016-read, give-me-my-time-back, early-review-librarything, advanced-reader-copy 

Cats in Paris: A Coloring Book of the Felines of Paris

I was seduced by the cover of this coloring book: cat on a bookshelf (pictured below). It's my favorite of the drawings, that will give great pleasure to fans of coloring, cats, and Paris. An interesting mix of line drawings and scanned art. I've come to the conclusion that though I like to draw art for coloring, I'm not such a big fan of coloring, itself.

Thanks to blogging for books and the publisher for sending a copy my way.

Tags: 2016-read, art, blogging-for-books, read, thought-i-was-gonna-like

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

This is a novel rich in images, focused on two girls growing up in a working class section of Naples in the 1950's. Their friendship is hard-won, but true. The interactions with family members and with other characters who inhabit that neighborhood captured me. If you're wanting a fast-paced action novel, look elsewhere. This has the rhythms and feel of the novels I studied at university, the story unspooling and reweaving slowly on its loom. It starts with a bit of a mystery (one of the girls, now a middle aged woman has gone missing) and the other travels back through time and memory to their girlhoods. As I understand it, the other Neapolitan Novels cover different periods in their lives. I'll keep reading, not just for the beauty of the language (even translated into English) but to find out which of the two girls is the brilliant friend. My opinion kept switching.

I've also heard that there is a bit of a debate about who Elen Ferrante really is. The novel was pretty much dismissed by the Italian Literary world, but became a runaway favorite with the rest of the world when it was translated.

Tags:  read-on-recommendation, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, thank-you-charleston-county-library, 2016-read, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, made-me-think, translated

The Hanging Girl (Department Q #6) by Jussi Adler-Olsen

This is a series I love. Not only are the cases interesting and full of their own quirks and twists, but so are the central characters. The cases assigned to Department Q are all cold cases, lying unsolved for years. The main team of characters are all broken in one way or another, with foibles and fears, secrets and sins, all wrapped up in many, many layers that Adler-Olsen carefully dissects away. And while some of the cases have the dark noir aspect of other Scandinavian writers, some are less vitriolic, but just as interesting to read. Sometimes you like a good mystery/detective novel that doesn't rip your guts out or give you nightmares. Jussi Adler-Olsen has proven to be able to craft a tale that grabs attention, and unfolds in a way that grabs interest, builds suspense, and defines characters beautifully. 

Tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, currently-reading, nordic-noir, thank-you-charleston-county-library, translated-mystery

Pop Painting: Inspiration and Techniques from the Pop Surrealism Art Phenomenon by Camilla d'Errico

Though Camilla d'Errico's  art is vastly different from what I make, I found this an interesting book, with good suggestions that I intend to try. The panels showing her process were fascinating.  I've been wanting to try birch panels, and after finishing the book, went out and got a few to give it a whirl.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for sending me my copy. It's a keeper!

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

I know straight off this book won't be for everyone, but it certainly was for me. Charlie Jane Anders has created wonderful mix of science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism with a bit of real magic and a dystopian slant. There's also a little romance thrown in, and I've heard that some people, based on the beginning, were thinking it was YA. I liked the characters. I liked their interactions. I liked the conflict that was set up (as a storyline, not as a potential reality.) I admit to being a sucker for books set in San Francisco, and this one, unlike some others, actually got the location right. If I'm not being that eloquent it's because I woke up at 2:30 and didn't get back to sleep last night.

For those that need a plot summary, the story starts with two misfit kids finding each other in middle school. That one understands the language of birds and nature, and the other is tuned to building the perfect AI is yet another mismatch. But events unfold so that they separate, only to meet up again, in San Francisco, on opposite sites of an undeclared war about how to save humanity. Plus, there are witches, robots, two second time travel, and good writing. What more could you wish in a book?

tags: 2016-read, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, dystopian-ish, fantasy, great-cover, made-me-think, magic, magical-realism, places-i-have-been, read, read-on-recommendation, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-provoking, tor, want-to-re-read, will-look-for-more-by-this-author

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

When you've had someone you love die violently at the hands of someone else, you tend to think a lot about justice and karma. At least that's my experience. Mileage may vary for other family members. Our civilization, and many others, holds fundamental the ideas of justice and upholding laws that protect life and freedoms. And that's really the basis of this story. A violent act was committed. The repercussions ripple across the years, twisting and breaking lives and hearts in the process. If the truth is a long time coming, is it any better or worse to know? And what of justifications? Of suppositions? Of fermenting sorrows and anger. What about when fate steps in and deals it's own heavy hitting, is that justice? Can the score of taking another's life ever be settled? Can it ever be forgiven? Should it be?

My own experience teaches me we get through tragedy, but never over it. In the life taken from my world, both justice and karma had their say. It doesn't make the loss any easier.

I have purposely not rated this book. I can't.

tags: 2016-read, an-author-i-read, don-t-want-to-rate, made-me-sad, made-me-think, made-me-uncomfortable, mixed-feelings, places-i-have-been, read, read-on-recommendation, thank-you-charleston-county-library

How to Write a Novel (a Novel) by Melanie Sumner

I'm just a little tired of precocious 12 year olds. The premise is clever and the stories told by Charles and by Aris's mother Diane, via the writing their characters do, were interesting. Aris (short for Aristotle) herself, meh. But, overall, I liked the book, as in "it was fine/ok", just didn't love it. Once again, Kirkus Reviews and I part company.

Georgette Heyer: A Love Story

My mother was a reader. Her tastes, like those of her daughter, were eclectic. But if push came to shove, she could name a few favored authors: Jane Austen, Robertson Davies, Anthony Trollope, George Eliott, Dorothy L. Sayers. But then, with a smile that went straight from her heart to her entire face, she'd softly say  "Georgette Heyer."

I was working at a summer camp, up in the hills of West Virginia in 1974, when I received a distressed call from my mother.
"Mamele*, I've got some terrible news. Brace yourself."
I immediately sat down, simultaneously clutching the phone and taking inventory of our mutual loved ones. No one was ill, unless you counted my Nana Nadel, who was tucked up in a nursing home, happy in her memories, which was all her Alzheimer's, then called senile dementia left her. That must be it.
"Oh Mama, I'm sorry. She lived a full and rich life though. How's Daddy?"
"Your father's fine. Why do you ask? Yes, her life was full-- 71 years. She would have been 72 next month"

I was confused. My grandmother was in her upper 90's. Something was definitely wrong her.

"Um, Mama? Wasn't she older?"
"No, Mamele, she just wrote about Regency England. She didn't live it!"

I was even more confused. It took a little while, but finally I realized my mother's urgent call was to relay the death of Georgette Heyer.

A well-worn set of Heyer's Regency novels occupied a place of honor on the bookshelves of our home as far back as I can remember. When I first tumbled onto Jane Austen's work, my mother quietly handed me one of Heyer's novels, and, almost reverently, whispered that I might enjoy this author. I tried reading the book (I forget which one) but it just didn't grab me. Over the years, I'd take various titles off the shelf, but none won my heart the way my mother's was captured. She even used to say that at the end of her days, when she'd lost her marbles, to set her in front of a window with a couple of Georgette Heyer books to read. When she finished one she could start the other. When that was done, she, she could start the first again, because she wouldn't remember the story and would enjoy it all over again. Indeed, in the end of her days, one of the last novels she read was a favorite Heyer.

What made me recall all this was that a Georgette Heyer mystery** fell into my hands via one of the local Little Free Libraries here in Charleston. I've been a bit nostalgic, and decided to give it a whirl. Know what? I liked it. It reminded me of some of my favorite 1950's era black and white mystery films, with enough wit to overcome the camp. Maybe it's time to pull Arabella off the shelf and give it another go. It would make my mother smile.

*little girl (affectionate) in Yiddish. A pet name of my mother's for me
** Footsteps in the Dark

Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg

I picked this up, even though I was afraid it would be gimmicky. Sure, there was some of that, but there was a lot of humor and cleverness, too. (I'm not sure how much of that would be picked up by someone unfamiliar with the different books/characters texting, but as I've read just about all the books, I did just fine.) Had to read it in small snippets throughout the day, because I needed to refresh and cleanse between books and genres and eras being depicted. A fun little "palate cleanser" between other books, and probably a good book to keep in mind when you want to give a little token to "the reader who's read everything."

Favorites? A whole bunch of them, but the ones I remember the most (a day after reading) are books that I remember the most: Jane Eyre, Emma, P&P, Little Women, and the classics in myth and Shakespeare. Harry Potter made me laugh, and I did like Hunger Games, except now I want cake.

tags: 2016-read, books-about-books, funny, great-title, made-me-laugh-out-loud-for-real, not-my-usual-read, read, rounded-up-in-star-rating, thank-you-charleston-county-library

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Life is challenging, unpredictable, full of ups and downs for almost anyone, and Mim, a 16 year old trying to find her balance after the collapse of her parent's marriage, has every right to feel a little unsettled. Add in there that she's been moved almost a thousand miles from the home, and mother, she loves, to Mississippi, with her father and new stepmother she's not particularly keen on, and that her mother is no longer in contact with her, and it's no wonder she's a little rocky. Then she finds out her mom is sick. What Mim decides to do is head back to Ohio, on her own, to find her mother and help her. It's a saga of Greyhound bus rides, eccentric fellow travelers, kindness of strangers, cruelty of others, and even fireworks at a baseball game. It's rooting for the underdog, protecting friends, and finding your balance. It's a great tale (and great cover art). And, in the context of the story, has one of the best couple of closing lines I've seen in a novel.

tags:  read-on-recommendation, 2016-read, thank-you-charleston-county-library, great-title, ya-lit, i-liked-it, great-cover 

The Center of the World by Jacqueline Sheehan

Once again Jacqueline Sheehan has pulled me into a story and not let go. This time, it centered on Guatemala, a land whose music and folk art long ago grabbed my heart, while the history has broken it. I'm not even sure where to begin in a review, except to say that I stayed home yesterday just to keep reading this book. It's a story about family, about belonging, about hearing the language of your heart and soul. It's about knowing your roots, and following your instincts. It's got good, and evil, mistakes, and mitzvahs. If you need to know more, read the publisher's blurb, then read the book. Did I like it? You betcha. Do I recommend it? What do you think?

Tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, an-author-i-read, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, made-me-look-something-up, read, taught-me-something, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-provoking, will-look-for-more-by-this-author

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman

I'm a little non-plussed as to how to categorize this book-- fiction vs fantasy vs magical realism? Maybe a little of all of them? Regardless, there is some imagination used with the precocious main character Elsa, who, at 7, has read all of the Harry Potter books multiple times, and has the freedom, long denied most American kids to roam around the city on her own, at all times of day or night.

Aside from all that, the story premise was interesting. Young girl, closely bonded with her eccentric grandmother, is given a treasure hunt of a task when said grandmother conks. She is to deliver letters written to a number of people, along with the message that her grandmother asked her to tell them she's sorry.

It becomes clear that Granny was an amazing story-teller who created an entire universe and language which she told Elsa all about. But as Elsa finds out, the other world and our world have blurred boundaries, and things may not always be what they seem.

tags great-title, 2016-read, read-on-recommendation, thank-you-charleston-county-library, rounded-up-in-star-rating, magic, magical-realism, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, fantasy 

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton

I'm a bit at a loss as to where to start about this book. On the surface, it's about a woman and her deaf daughter who go off in search of her husband, convinced he's alive, even though he was supposedly killed in a horrible accident in the wilderness of Alaska, in the midst of winter's night. Good enough premise there, but the book was so much more than that. A book that entertains, but also teaches, is a gift. And if that book makes the reader think, examine issues and ideas, even better in my book (Ha! See what I did there?) So I learned about trucking in the Alaska winter, about Alaskan fauna, about the challenges of raising a deaf child, about native Inuit customs, about industry in the Alaskan frontier, about survival in the deepest of cold. And I examined, thought, about my ideas and beliefs about all of the above, and about that quality of silence that reaches into different aspects of life and love.

Thank you LibraryThing's Early Readers Program and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Tags: 2016-read, advanced-reader-copy, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, early-review-librarything, literary-mystery, made-me-look-something-up, made-me-think, read, taught-me-something

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

I found this book intriguing, not so much for the actual story, but for the descriptions of life and afterlife in colonial Malaysia. Though I had a major in Asian studies, in my life before becoming a nurse, I hadn't retained much about the beliefs of Chinese afterlife (at least in the time period of the novel. One of the more fascinating mentions in the author's afterward was that though the concept of a ghost bride, a living woman married to a man after his death, or a dead woman married, after death, to a deceased man, was familiar in areas once under Chinese jurisdiction, it was not known as a precious practice in mainland China. The author speculated that this might be because of the deemphasizing of religion and spiritual beliefs by Chinese governments since the fall of the emperor. I also found it interesting that it was recommended to me by a man, and when I commented on the romance aspect in the book, he hadn't even noticed it when reading.

tags:  2016-read, read-on-recommendation, thank-you-charleston-county-library, first-novel-or-book, taught-me-something, made-me-look-something-up

Brody by Marco Canora

My freezer is usually full of bones. No, I'm not a serial killer; I'm a cook. I love when my home has delectable smells wafting from the kitchen. Early on, I learned that those bits and bobs others throw out can be saved and turned into delicious broths and stocks to enhance future recipes or suffice as a stand alone to sip. I've been doing this since the first Thanksgiving turkey I cooked (age 12) was reduced to a carcass, and my mother taught me how to make stock from it. Now that paleo diet has made such things trendy, my "stock" made from the bones remaining behind from meals has become "bone broth".

Marco Canora also has been making and partaking ofbroths for years, though he is much more skilled, and has a better stocked kitchen than I do. For instance, I tend to throw my ingredients into my crock pot, with water and a touch of apple cider vinegar to help break the good stuff in the bones down. I'm betting that he has multiple stockpots, and someone else to do the dishes. I've never bought veggies and meats/bones to make my broths, simply relied on scraps and leftovers, but given some of the recipes in this book, I just might buy some supplies. Brodo is both the name of the take out window behind his Hearth restaurant in New York City, and the Italian word for broth. It's also the name for this collection of Canora's recipes for brodo and for some other recipes associated with it. My mouth is watering. This was a good find, which I intend to put to use

Thank you to blogging for books and to the publishers for sending me this copy. And thank you for giving me a destination to visit when I next get to New York City.