Review: Nothing to See Here

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love

Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok, everyone stop what you're doing and go listen to this audiobook if you haven't already. JVN has quickly become my favorite of the new Fav 5 on Queer Eye (on Netflix for those living under a rock). I had heard great things from my coworkers about this audiobook and it absolutely did not disappoint. JVN has a magical way of breaking my heart and then the next moment soothing it and then the next moment cracking me up into hysterical laughter. I've read a lot of memoirs on the topic of overcoming obstacles such as addiction but this book was something more than that. I'm still in awe of how "raw" (an appropriate word for the subtitle of the book) JVN was in writing this, sharing his truth of his early 20s and the mistakes he's made along the way. He shines a brilliant light on the LGBTQ+ community and issues that are still prevalent today despite all the media perception of tolerance and acceptance. I (and I imagine the majority of JVN's fandom) had no idea of his past experiences with drug use, dangerous sexual encounters and his HIV+ status. I don't know of another story of a person living with HIV+ status that has been able to "overcome" the virus and is now undetectable and thus non-contagious thanks to modern medicine. It is truly amazing to know the progress that science has made in the past 40 years whilst media perception has yet to catch up.

I think everyone should listen to this book and hear JVN's story. No one else could narrate this book better and his voice soothes my soul and brightens my day.

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Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating: 3.5

I kept seeing this book listed as one of the best books of 2018 so I thought I'd give it a try. I listened to the audiobook and I'm really glad that I did because of the Nigerian accents of the characters. This book was about two sisters and how their dynamic affects everyone around them. For the most part, I liked the plot of the book. I wanted to keep reading (listening) to know what happened in the story. However, I don't know that I ever truly connected with the protagonist and I prefer to immerse myself in the world of the book when reading fiction. Overall, I'd recommend this book to fans of My Lovely Wife. Definitely not my genre but I'm glad I gave this book a chance.

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Review: Beautiful Music

Beautiful Music by Michael Zadoorian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was chosen as the Community Reads book for 2019. Michael Zadoorian, a local author to the Detroit area, tells the story of a young boy growing up in the aftermath of the Detroit uprising in the late 60s. This story is about the music of the generation and how strongly music can influence our lives. This story is also about the racial tensions that persisted long after the rebellion of 1967. I very much enjoyed the parts of this book referring to specific events/places in the Detroit area. As a resident of Detroit, I could picture each place and try to imagine a different era of the city. The elements of this book that I did not enjoy all revolve around race. While I recognize that this book was largely autobiographical, as Zadoorian himself grew up and attended the same high school described in the book, I felt that it negatively portrayed this tensions. As this book was written in the perspective of this young white kid, I can understand why it was one-sided but ultimately it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I work in a predominantly white affluent suburb of Detroit, where many residents speak ill of Detroit to this day. I felt that elements of this book could have solidified their negative perceptions of the city and that they could wrongly generalize the incidents of the book which may have been historically accurate to how the city lives and breathes today. I know that racial tensions still persist today in Detroit and I am acutely aware of that daily. However, I prefer books that shine a positive light on the city and how its residents are actively working to heal this wounds and move forward together as a community of proud citizens of Detroit. That being said, I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed books such as The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce or Once In A Great City: A Detroit Story by David Maraniss.

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Review: Three Women

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so powerful and upsetting. I've never read a book like it before. Lisa Taddeo introduces us to three different women. Three very different women in their age and life circumstances. In each woman's story, Taddeo lays out how their sexuality and choices in life were dictated by the men in their lives. I found myself understanding the story of Lena so so much. In college, I found that I would have discussions online with a guy too similar to Lena's experience with Aiden. I shake my head at my younger self's decision making, as I "should have known better", but as Taddeo lays out in this expose this situation is far too common. While Taddeo describes the stories of these three specific women, ultimately they can be generalized to experiences far too many women face. In each story, their upbringing and relationships with their family affected their sexuality and the things they told themselves. I found it interesting as well that through all the troubles that these women faced, they seemed to isolate themselves further and further away from other people, especially other women, for fear of being judged. I hope that all women read this book and decide to not judge the choices of their female friends as the story is generally not the entire story. It is so important for women to support other women. I'm definitely a little haunted by this book because of all its truth within its binding. It makes me value my current relationship with my husband that much more and definitely makes me value my female friends who I feel I can confide in. Find your community and know that you are not alone.

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Review: What I Lick Before Your Face ... and Other Haikus By Dogs

What I Lick Before Your Face ... and Other Haikus By Dogs by Jamie Coleman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is the cutest book I’ve seen in quite a while. It is hilarious and full of adorable pictures of dogs. This is a quick read and one you can pick up again and again and enjoy. Perfect book to gift to the dog lovers in your life. Highly recommended for a quick pick-me-up!

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Review: The Testaments

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 stars for the audiobook format. Ann Dowd, Mae Whitman and Bryce Dallas-Howard as narrators :)

I was so freaking excited for this sequel and preordered it early. I knew that it took place around 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale but other than that I didn't have any expectations. I was confused upon beginning the book to discover that Offred is not one of the narrators in this novel. Although upon reading Atwood's statements as to why she did this, I understand. In this novel, we hear from three women, Aunt Lydia, Agnes Jemima (whom we [the reader] know to be Hannah, June's daughter) and Daisy. Though the first person narrator of Aunt Lydia, we are introduced to a completely different side of this woman than previously portrayed. Honestly, her character was one of the more redeeming qualities of the book; Her character being the most complex of all presented in the novel. Daisy is a very static character unfortunately. There is a lot more plot in this novel and switching between the different voices, which is very different from the first novel. Also, the tone is completely different almost separating these novels from each other and only connecting them by a thin thread of Offred and Gilead as a whole.

Fans of Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Homegoing, or An American Marriage would enjoy elements of this book.

**SPOILERS** I think we (as a society) needed this book as a manual for hope. Both novels echo the current climate of the country and after 3 years of this nonsense in the White House, we needed to know that escape from totalitarianism is possible.



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Review: The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe's Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance

The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe's Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance by Anders Rydell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I (along with another Adult Services Librarian) chose this title for one of our book discussion groups. The book was extremely interesting but was too academic in reading for most of the group's tastes. They preferred more of a narrative throughout the work to better tell this story.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was tough to get through due to the subject matter. I learned more about the Holocaust than I knew before. This is a story that I don't believe most people are aware of and it should be heard more. Books keep the history of a culture, of a people, of people's lives and the Nazis systematically destroyed (or attempted to destroy) both the majority of the history and the integrity of the people themselves. There are a lot of parallels to modern times in this book which all lead down dark dark paths. It is important to know about this history to better prevent it from repeating itself. I hope we can stop those that attempt this foolery (for lack of a better word) again.

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