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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Review of "The Gifted School" by Bruce Holsinger

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading this book a while ago and couldn’t get past the first chapter. I came back to it recently and once I got past the first chapter, I couldn’t stop reading! There are a lot of characters in this story so I got a little confused at times. I ended up making a list of characters to keep everyone and their relations straight while I continued throughout the book. Holsinger presents each chapter in a different character’s point of view. We hear the story from different angles, whether from a parent or a child, which adds an important element to the story. It would’ve been too 1 dimensional if we didn’t hear this story from the perspective of the children. Ultimately, this story makes the reader question the merits of a “gifted” school or truly even what constitutes as “gifted”. Similar to “Big Little Lies”, these parents tend to be self-involved and focused on how everyone else perceives their family rather than what’s best for their particular child. Holsinger creates a page-turner of a drama and I couldn’t wait to read what happened next. Recommended.

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Review of "Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention" by Donna Freitas

Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention by Donna Freitas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rating: 3.5

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

TRIGGERS: sexual abuse, stalking, PTSD

“Consent” is a book about telling a woman’s truth. Donna Freitas suffered a form of sexual abuse in grad school and it destroyed her life as she knew it. She tells the reader exactly, step by step, how this person took a calculated measure to infect every inch of her world. She puts the reader into her skin and it made me feel gross just reading about the abuse. It’s exhausting to read on about how much she suffered because she makes you empathize with her so much, even if you haven’t suffered anything similar to it in your actual life. This is an important book to read to hear about consent in the viewpoint of a victim of abuse. Especially, abuse that occurred in the academic world and how universities (and the Catholic Church in this case) respond to reports of sexual abuse. It’s an upsetting story with an important message. Due to its content, this book could be triggering to those who are suffering from PTSD due to abuse in their past. I would recommend this book to those interested in reading on the topic of consent or sexual abuse scandals in university settings. There are plenty of books on this topic but this book provides the most important angle of all. The view of the person who suffers the most from the incident. It’s so important for her to be able to tell her story, so you should listen and know her story.

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Review of "This is How It Always Is" by Laurie Frankel

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Frankel introduces the reader to a young family of five children. When Rosie and Penn are expecting their fifth and youngest child, Rosie is wishing for a girl as she's only had boys prior. She planned on naming her child "Poppy" after her late sister. However, when the fifth child was born, it was a boy and they named him Claude. As Claude grows up, he asks to wear a dress to school and over time asks to be called Poppy. This is the story of how a very young child goes through the trials and errors of defining their gender identity.

I enjoyed the beginning part of the book but as it progressed I liked it less and less. It definitely has a preachy quality for trans-rights and gender queer identities rather than a personal or accurate portrayal of this type of experience. I do not know if Frankel herself has someone in her life that has gone through this type of transition but it does not come across that she has any personal knowledge of what it is like. It felt like it was a rose-colored look into how a young child would experience this self-education of their own identity. I did appreciate that this population is getting featured in literature as it is the first novel I have read with a gender-queer protagonist so props to Frankel for that. For me, the book should have cut out a good portion of the middle. It did feel like she added in a bunch of the same stuff so it got monotonous and tedious to listen to.

If you like stories about families with children who feel or are different than other children and you appreciate happy endings...this book is for you!

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Review of "Hamilton: The Revolution" by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was difficult to keep listening to the book straight through since it's basically lined up like the show and you'll want to listen to the songs after you read about it. So I was constantly switching between listening to the audiobook and the cast album. I very much enjoyed learning of the background story of the musical and the long process of putting it on stage. I didn't realize how collaborative Lin was with his cast members in composing the music. The last section of the book is read by Lin himself and he's reading his footnotes for the libretto to the musical. It was a little confusing to follow without looking at the book itself but all the little tidbits were fascinating. I do own the print book as well and it's a gorgeous book to gift to lovers of musical theatre. The pictures are fantastic! Highly recommend.

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Review of "Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist" by Eli Saslow

Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Scott Brick. Brick does a wonderful job of emoting the thoughts of each and every character. You could feel the differences between Don Black's thoughts and Allison's.

This work of nonfiction by Saslow tells the story of Derek Black, the son of Don Black, former KKK Grand Wizard and Chloe Black, who was previously married to David Duke. Derek was ultimately White Nationalist royalty and he was treated as such. However, after attending a liberal arts school and actively socializing with people of different cultures and ethnicities, Derek begins to see things a little differently. This book is an example of the best way to handle someone whose beliefs are seen as dangerous or morally wrong. Instead of hating and avoiding Derek at all cost, his friends at New College of Florida welcomed him into their homes and conducted civil debate. His girlfriend at the time would send him reputable articles and scholarly studies to disprove his false statistics and stories. Eventually, he saw the light. They never gave up on him, despite the rest of the campus shunning him. I think this story is such an important one to hear. This is the answer for fusing this divide in our country. We should stop hating those on the other side of the aisle. Let's conduct a dialogue and try to emulate what young Derek Black did and actually listen to others. I highly highly recommend this book for everyone to read. An important story for our generation and it's so timely.

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Review of "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 4 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 was a fan of Colson Whitehead's last book The Underground Railroad. It was a very difficult read but a very good story. This book echoes that sentiment. It wasn't an easy read due to the subject matter but it was a very good story. Whitehead does an amazing job of developing the main character, Elwood Curtis. For some, they could probably remember the events that took place during the time frame of the book. Elwood's story begins in 1962 and he obsessively listens to a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. record over and over. He admires the civil rights movement leaders and mentions several key events in history. Whitehead does a great job of introducing Jim Crow era experiences to those like myself who could never imagine experiences as such. In my opinion, the best historical fiction is drawn from true stories and this was no exception. In Whitehead's previous novel, he introduces the story of a slave in the south and in this novel, he introduces a segregated reform school and the horrors that ensued within. I would recommend this book to those who were drawn to the writing of Whitehead either in "Underground Railroad" or prior. Fans of historical fiction should definitely read this and honestly, I think most Americans should read this because it is a story that isn't told often at all. Powerful and sticks with you long after finishing this short novel.

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Review of "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was chosen for a book discussion group held in my library. This book wouldn't have been something that I would've gravitated to on my own. My co-worker suggested we add it to the list of 2019 titles and upon reading the description of the novel, I was intrigued. I was drawn in from the beginning of the book to Jones's style of writing. This novel was written in the first person from the point of views of three characters; Roy, a husband who after one year of marriage is falsely accused and convicted to 12 years of prison for committing a rape of another woman; Celestial, Roy's wife of one year when he is sentenced to prison and has to grapple with what to do next; and Andre, Celestial's childhood friend and Roy's college roommate who steps into Roy's place in his absence. The novel revolves around this love triangle and how this prison sentence affects each of their lives. The overarching theme of this book is definitely the treatment of black men in law and order in America. This topic is so timely with other books and documentaries such as "The 13th" released within the past few years. We, as the reader, are left to decide what course of action was "right" for these characters. After being exonerated and released from prison 5 years into his sentence, Roy returns to his wife expecting to continue on in his marriage, despite her silence in communication the past 2 years. I think that Jones could've been clearer in Roy and Celestial's marriage prior to the arrest. Also, the trial itself wasn't covered enough in my opinion. Overall, I thought that this book was a glimpse into the impact that racial profiling can have on a young couple and their families.

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Review of "Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence" by Amy Blackstone

Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence by Amy Blackstone
My rating: 3 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 decided to read this book because I thought it would be a testament to Blackstone's decision to not have children. However, this book is definitely more of a description of the movement of being "Childfree by Choice", as the title suggests. Blackstone covers topics including maternal instinct, happiness and aging and compares parents versus nonparents. As a sociologist herself, she quotes and references tons of different studies over the years that show that choosing not to parent won't ruin one's life. She also conducted her own series of interviews of childfree singles and couples for this book. I felt like Blackstone was being quite defensive of her position throughout the book, but it's understandable why it came across that way. As she explains, we live in a pronatalist world that leaves those who choose not to reproduce to defend their decision to others. The overall point that Blackstone is trying to get across is that people should have the freedom to make decisions for their own futures and that those that end up "childless", either by choice or not, should not be forever questioned whether they live an unhappy, regretful, bitter life. I look forward to reading some of the memoirs that she references to find those testaments I was seeking. I would definitely suggest this book to those who do not understand the choice that is being childfree. This book is not geared toward those who are unable to conceive biologically but reading the findings of studies comparing parents and nonparents in their late life could make this population comforted that their life isn't over.

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Review of "A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 1" by George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook as preparation for a Game of Thrones Trivia Night that I'm hosting this upcoming July. Having watched the entire series prior to reading this book, I felt like I was able to get all the foreshadowing and symbolism that George R. R. Martin intended. I was rewatching season 1 while starting this book and I very much enjoyed how closely the TV series stayed to the books, to a degree. Obviously, the book allows the reader to hear the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters so I enjoyed learning more about my favorite characters from the series. I am not a high fantasy fan myself, so I do not plan on reading the rest of the book series, nor would I have picked up this book had it not been for the TV series.

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Review of "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
My rating: 2 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.

This book was extremely different than any other book I've read before. First, the book is labeled as a novel, but it reads very much like a memoir. It felt autobiographical and too honest to be fictional. Ocean Vuong wrote this book in a stream of consciousness style while left very little for plot. The narrator is writing to his mother and talks about different fragments of memories, time, events, etc. The timeline is all over the place and hard to follow if you're trying to understand the family's timeline. The main character who is affectionately referred to as "Little Dog" is Vietnamese and moved to the US as a young child. He recalls stories that his mother and his grandmother have told him of their time back in Vietnam. Topics regarding the Vietnam War are discussed as well as becoming a writer, life of immigrants, mental illness, human sexuality, cancer and the Opioid Epidemic. As the protagonist/narrator is of the millennial generation, many things he discusses are relatable to people in that generation, but from the skewed viewpoint of an immigrant queer boy. The use of language and syntax in this novel is far different than what I'm used to reading and honestly, it was very hard for me to follow. It was beautiful to read and if I could probably dissect this book and try to understand every meaning Vuong put into his sentences. The novel read like poetry in its use of sentences, punctuation, paragraph structure and metaphors. I'm not a huge fan of poetry so that's probably why this book didn't connect with me as much as I had hoped. I am glad that I read it however, as ingesting different types of art in book form is always good. I like diversifying my choices of reading. I don't know many people personally who I would recommend this book to, but I feel that fans of certain poets could enjoy this book.

This review is also posted on Netgalley and my personal blog.

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Review of "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was given to me as a birthday gift from a very good friend. She had highly suggested I read it and thus bought it for me as a present. I love her very much and I appreciate her book choices but her and I read this book very differently. First, I would never buy this for someone as a gift. There are far too many triggers in this book...(child abuse, sex trafficking, self-harm, suicide) and I would never want to assume that someone wouldn't be triggered by them. Second, this book was extremely depressing and very hard to get through due to the subject material. My friend loved the author's style of writing and I agree but I don't think it was beautiful enough to distract me from the subject matter. I think this book is very interesting, in that, Yanagihara titles the 814-pg. novel "A Little Life" (slightly oxymoronic in my opinion), and that she focuses the story on someone whose life could be seen as insignificant but the author expounds on the idea that Jude's life was far from insignificant. Starting the novel, I felt it a task to feel connected to the characters, but less than a quarter of the way through the book, I was hooked into the storyline. I wanted and later needed to know what happened to this people, especially the "protagonist" Jude. Many times I did want to quit reading, when the subject matter made me cringe, bawl, or gag, but since my friend recommended it, I trucked on. I was glad that I finished the book as it gleams some form of conclusion and this book was very different from others I have read. I can't say that I'd recommend it to anyone, but it is a challenging read and probably important/interesting to students of literature.


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Review of "The Music Shop" by Rachel Joyce

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I devoured this book! I had chosen this book for my book discussion group that meets at the bar before having read the book but the description sounded very interesting. I, myself, am a huge vinyl lover. I started my vinyl collection around 2014 and I've amassed over 100 titles so far. I also studied music in school so I was already familiar with a lot of music mentioned in the book. I was hooked from the start! Yes, the music spoke to me but Joyce's characters were developed right from the beginning of the book. I felt connected to each character, similarly to how I felt reading A Man Called Ove and other Fredrik Backman books. This book is hilarious, causing me to laugh out loud several times. I also felt a wide spectrum of emotions in other sections of the book, happy and sad tears being among them. I've already recommended this book to several of my friends who I know love vinyl and music, or are fans of "Ove" and that world. If you love quirky characters and a fun story about the power of music, please do yourself a favor and read this book!! The chapters are nice and short and I promise you won't want to set it down. I would definitely add this book to my list of recent favorites (and I'm very particular about which books I put in this category).

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