Friday, April 30, 2021

Middle-Grade/Teen Review: Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

I was looking for a short book to read while I waited for my next book group selection to come in from the library. I have a stuffed shelf of middle-grade and YA books for review--many of them years old!--and I chose Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. I was completely blown away by this powerful, funny, moving narrative.

Thirteen-year-old Steven does pretty well in school, but his passion is playing the drums. He's good enough at it that he's one of only two eighth-graders in the All-City High School Jazz Band, along with Annette, who is an excellent piano player. Steven's had a massive crush on a girl named Renee since third grade, but she doesn't even know he exists. And he has an adorable but annoying little brother named Jeffrey. Steven's ordinary middle-grade life is turned upside down that fall when they find out that Jeffrey has cancer and is very sick. His mom spends all her time by Jeffrey's side in hospitals, his dad becomes mute and won't even look Steven in the eye, and Steven feels all alone with this huge, horrible thing that's happening. He feels like he is sleep-walking through his life now, and the only place where he can really be honest and open up is in his confidential journal that he keeps for English class. Through that long, horrible year, Steven and his family find a way to move forward, with the help of friends, classmates, and the drums.

I know what you're thinking: "A book about childhood cancer? How depressing!" And, of course, this is a sad story; I cried several times while reading it (including some happy tears toward the later pages). What you don't expect, though, is that this novel is also very, very funny, and I was often laughing out loud while reading it. It is ultimately a very honest and uplifting story about a family that learns to come together and lean on each other and some wonderful friends and community who help to support them. I cried again while reading the Afterword, where the author explains the inspiration for the novel (a student of his) and his process of writing it. This outstanding, beautifully written novel took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and I loved every moment. I can't wait to read more from Sonnenblick (including this book's sequel).

273 pages, Scholastic Press

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, narrated by talented Joel Johnstone, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Fiction Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

Partway through reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles this month, I said to my husband, "When I hear everyone I know saying a book is amazing, I should listen!" That was the case with this unique and extraordinary novel. I kept hearing rave reviews of it, both from friends and reviewers, but somehow I didn't get around to reading it on my own. So, I am grateful that one of my book groups chose it as our April selection. Everyone else in the group agreed that this is a warm, funny, beautifully written, and uplifting novel.

In 1922 Russia, thirty-year-old poet Count Alexander Rostov goes before a Bolshevik tribunal, upon his return to the country from Europe. They declare him an "unrepentant aristocrat" and sentence him to house arrest at the Metropol, a fancy hotel across the street from the Kremlin. The Count has been living at the hotel since his return anyway, but now he is quickly moved from his luxurious suite with its expansive views to a tiny room in the attic on the sixth floor. He can move about the hotel freely but can not leave its premises. For someone used to dining in the best restaurants, attending the theater and ballet, and traveling extensively, this is quite a difficult transition for him, and Rostov struggles at first. Then, a precocious nine-year-old girl named Nina befriends him one day in the lobby, wanting to know what real princesses are like and how they behave. The two become fast friends, and Nina opens his eyes to a whole world behind the scenes of his familiar hotel, as they explore basement passages, get to know staff, and hide in the balcony to watch meetings held in the ballroom. Rostov is naturally resilient and upbeat, and Nina helps him to see his circumstances in a new light, even long after she returns to school. He forms deep friendships within the walls of the hotel, excels at a job he acquires there, and builds his life there over the decades. Eventually, another little girl comes into his life who will again transform him, and he, in turn, must care for her.

It is easy to describe what happens in this novel but so much harder to describe how it made me feel. From its first pages, the book is entirely engrossing, Rostov completely charming, and Nina irresistible. The writing is beautiful and filled with so many thoughtful, insightful passages that my copy has many tabbed pages that I need to transcribe to my Quote Journal before I return it to the library. Here are just a couple of brief examples of Rostov's astute musings:

"But imagining what might happen if one's circumstances were different was the only sure route to madness."

"By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration--and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour."

Though it takes place mostly within the walls of this one building over the course of decades, the novel took me on a tremendous emotional journey, making me cry twice and laugh out loud over and over. That, to me, is the mark of a truly great novel: one that can make me feel. My entire book group felt the same way. In fact, our average rating as a group was an unprecedented 9.6 out of 10! It is poignant, funny, and compelling and is all about living in the present and finding small joys in every day life. I absolutely loved reading it and highly recommend it.

462 pages, Viking

My book group was thrilled to hear that this wonderful novel is being adapted into a limited TV series starring Kenneth Branagh--I can't wait!

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 


Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith, and/or download it from Audible. It sounds great on audio!

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

   
  

 

Or you can order A Gentleman in Moscow from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

TV Tuesday: The United States of Tara

We are a bit late to the party, but we've just discovered the outstanding drama-comedy of The United States of Tara, a half-hour show that originally ran on Showtime from 2009-2011. We are enjoying this wholly original series.

Toni Collette plays Tara, a wife and mother with Dissociative Identity Disorder aka Multiple Personality Disorder. Stress can trigger her to morph from her normal, ordinary mom persona into one of three other distinct personalities: T, a 16-year-old with a wild streak; Alice, a buttoned-up, perfect 50's-type housewife, complete with high-heeled pumps and frilly aprons; and Buck, a rough male Vietnam vet. Tara has no control over when or where one of the other personalities takes over her body and often doesn't remember what happened while she was one of the others. She lives with her long-suffering but loving husband, Max (played by John Corbett); older teen daughter, Kate (played by Brie Larson); and younger teen son, Marshall (played by Keir Gilchrist, talented star of Atypical). Tara's younger sister, Charmaine, played by Rosemary DeWitt, is often around, too. They are an ordinary suburban family, except when they aren't. Though Tara's alter egos often wreak havoc in their lives, sometimes they are just there for awhile, and the family has gotten used to the sudden shifts. T borrows Kate's clothes, Alice loves to bake, and Buck is an excellent bowler. The family weathers the usual ups and downs, with Tara's unexpected personality shifts thrown into the mix. She suspects there is some forgotten trauma behind the disorder, and she sometimes tries therapy and other approaches to getting better, but much of the time, this is just normal life for this very unusual family.

OK, I know this sounds like a very weird premise ... but it works. In fact, it works extraordinarily well. All of the actors on the show are excellent and work very well together, but Toni Collette's performance, playing four very distinct personalities, is outstanding. In fact, she won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and several other awards for this role. She and the rest of the cast manage to capture both the ordinariness of their life and the insanity of it. Though Tara is at the center of it, the show is also about a regular family living this extraordinary life: Kate's issues with boyfriends and jobs, Marshall's struggles with his sexual orientation, and Max's attempts to hold the family together and earn a living. And Tara is actually a great mom, when she isn't punching Kate's boyfriend as Buck or embarrassing the kids as T! The show is warm and engaging and both moving and very funny at times. We just started season 2 (of 3) and are enjoying it.

The United States of Tara originally aired on Showtime, so is still available on their platform. It is now also currently available on Hulu. You can also purchase episodes for $1.99 or seasons for $10.99 at this link on Amazon or start a 7-day free subscription to Showtime there.


Monday, April 26, 2021

It's Monday 4/26! What Are You Reading?


Running late today because I'm just back from one of those marathon medical appointments with my son--an hour's drive out into Amish country, an hour each with his two specialists who are there, and then an hour's drive back home (in between, he got 2 IVs and I bought more supplements for the two of us). It's a tiring day for both of us but well worth it and a lovely drive through the countryside. Besides, I got to spend lots of time with my son, and he's been home since yesterday. He needs to rest before attempting the drive home, so he'll be here for one more dinner (red beans and rice, his favorite!). We always enjoy having him home, and his brother came for dinner last night, too.

 

A short but lovely hike Friday

Last week was super-busy, but my husband and I did take Friday morning off for a take-out breakfast from a favorite restaurant and a short hike on a new-to-us trail.

A beautiful trail along the stream

Now, here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I finished my book group pick, Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas Tallamy. Doug is a local author and has written several books about nature, biodiversity, and native plants. This one also covers those topics but with a focus on what you (and all of us ordinary people) can do to make a difference in this rapidly deteriorating ecological situation we find ourselves in, by planting native plants in our own yards. He details how and why such a small-seeming step can make such a big difference. This book dovetailed well with The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, which I read (and loved) in February. It was fascinating, and for me, explained some of the underlying reasons why native plants are so important. I also enjoyed the gorgeous, full-color photographs throughout the book, especially since many of them were taken here in my area in places familiar to me.

Next, I moved onto a novel I have been looking forward to, Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. I gave this book to my husband for Christmas and he recently read it, and now it's my turn! (Best kind of gifts, right?) My husband, son, and I all loved the original (and the movie) and have been looking forward to the sequel. I'm about 125 pages in now. It was a slowish start for me, with a dismal outlook for Wade and the rest of the world. He has not handled fame and fortune well, and a new technology that Halliday left for him is again changing the world, not necessarily in good ways. But the action has picked up now, both in the OASIS, with a new quest, and in the real world, and I am well-immersed in the story now and enjoying it. I think I might know where it is going ultimately but not what will happen on the way, so I am eager to learn more and see what happens next.

I started a new audio book last week that I am loving, Astray by Emma Donoghue. To my surprise, I found it is a collection of short stories (it's been a while since I downloaded it!). For each story, Donoghue took a small nugget of real-life news from the 1700's-early 1900's and filled in the details with fiction. The stories are each fascinating in their own way; I can't imagine the research she must have done to find these obscure and interesting bits of news. She includes an afterword with each story, describing her sources and where she found them. The stories mostly take place in the UK and US but cover a wide range of characters and subjects, from a world-famous elephant named Jumbo and his trainer in 1700's London who are sold to P.T. Barnum to a slave in Texas who runs away with his master's wife to a pair of fortune seekers who barely survive a winter in the Yukon during the gold rush ... and so much more! I think I only have two stories left, but I have enjoyed every single one of them.

My husband, Ken, finished another Christmas gift from me, One By One by Ruth Ware. He and I both enjoy Ware's wonderful, nail-biting thrillers. I reviewed In the Dark, Dark Wood (never stay in a glass house) and The Woman in Cabin 10 (watch out for small cruises). All he told me about this new one is that people are being killed, one by one (hence the title!). Sounds a bit like Agatha Christie's classic, And Then There Were None, which I read recently, and I see some reviewers have made the same comparison. Amazon says it's about a group of nine people at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps for a corporate retreat who get snowed in together, with one person still out on the slopes when the avalanche hits. Sounds like a suspenseful one! He enjoyed it.

Ken is now reading A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra, a novel which garnered multiple awards and accolades when it was released in 2013. I read this book back in 2015 with one of my book groups and loved it (my review). A friend I lent it to recently returned it, so my husband decided to read it, though it is quite a departure from his usual thrillers. It takes place during the Chechnyan wars. A newly orphaned eight-year-old girl is taken by a kind neighbor to the local hospital, which is mostly bombed out. A doctor named Sonja remains there, working by herself day and night to care for anyone who manages to find their way there. The girl and the neighbor are still in danger from those who killed her parents, and they hide out at the hospital (he is a doctor so pledges to help Sonja in return). It's all about connections between people and how love and hope can survive in the worst circumstances. It's a powerful, moving novel, so I hope he enjoys it as much as I did.

Our 26-year-old son is immersed in one of his favorite series, Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. He's now onto book 4, Rhythm of War, which is a mere 1232 pages ... and hardcover! He brought this one home with him this weekend--just a bit of light reading for travel. He loves epic fantasy, the longer the better, and he thinks my annual Big Book Summer Challenge (coming up next month!) where I read 400+ page books each summer is pretty funny. When he was twelve, we were halfway across the country on a day-long journey through airports when we realized he'd stuffed the hardcover edition of the complete works of Arthur Conan Doyle into his backpack for the trip! 

 

Blog posts last week:

Movie Monday: Moxie - with Amy Poehler - I loved it!

TV Tuesday: Debris - a new sci fi thriller series we're enjoying

Teen/YA Review: One Way or Another by Kara McDowell - a fun, twisty rom-com with a serious center

Middle-Grade/Teen Graphic Novel Review: Flamer by Mike Curato - outstanding story of a boy's struggle with his identity at Boy Scout camp in the 1990's

And one book-related video:

 Friday Reads 4-23-21


What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?

 

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Graphic Novel Review: Flamer

I recently read an excellent graphic novel, Flamer by Mike Curato, which is aimed at older middle-graders and young teens. It’s the story of a boy struggling with issues of identity and self-confidence.

 

Thirteen-year-old Aiden is at Boy Scout camp, a place that he normally loves. While he's enjoying all the usual activities, the beautiful outdoors, and the camaraderie, this summer Aiden is also very worried about going to high school in the fall. He gets teased a lot and bullied, and he's scared that the big public high school will be even worse than his Catholic middle school has been. To make things worse, he's self-conscious about his appearance, gets teased about being mixed-race, and worries that he might be gay, which is not acceptable in his Catholic upbringing. Even his beloved Boy Scouts are anti-gay (the book takes place in the 90's), so what happens if Aiden is gay? But he's not; he can't be. Aiden also has a difficult home life, with an abusive father, which is one reason why Boy Scout camp is usually his safe haven. The novel follows Aiden’s week at camp, where he is pulled between enjoying his favorite place and agonizing over his identity and what comes next.

 

Sample double-page from Flamer

 


Flamer is a poignant story of an adolescent boy trying to figure out who he is … and if he can accept himself. The wonderfully drawn black and white pictures (with some splashes of red where there is fire) and story follow Aiden's struggles that summer, which the author says are autobiographical. It deals with some very difficult topics—abuse, bullying, struggling with sexual orientation, and even suicide—that are countered by the fun activities Aiden loves at summer camp and drawings of the beautiful outdoor environment. I loved this moving, powerful story about identity, friendship, and acceptance.

 

366 pages, Henry Holt

 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.



Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!


You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 

   
  

Or you can order Flamer from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.


Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Teen/YA Review: One Way or Another

I recently finished listening to a YA novel, One Way or Another by Kara McDowell, which seems to be her second novel. I enjoyed this fun rom-com with a twist that also tackles a serious issue.

 

Seventeen-year-old Paige struggles with anxiety and is in love with her best friend, Fitz, but he's always dating someone else. Now, as much as she hates even trivial decisions, she has a big one to make: go with Fitz to his family's mountain cabin for a Christmas worthy of a Hallmark holiday movie (and Fitz just broke up with his latest girlfriend) or go to New York City with her mother for her dream trip of a lifetime. Paige wants to be a travel writer someday, and she’s never left her hometown in Arizona before, so the New York trip (which her mom won free) is a big deal. As she's walking with her friend in a store, agonizing over the choice, Paige slips and hits her head. From then on, the novel splits into two different storylines: on one path, Paige goes to the cabin with Fitz and his family, and on the other path, she goes to New York with her mom. Both paths have elements of the picture-perfect holiday Paige dreamed of, though her anxiety follows her no matter where she goes.

 

I love novels that play with time—time travel, time shifting, alternate timelines, etc.—so this one was right up my alley. Paige’s anxiety and inability to make a decision affect every aspect of her life, and the author dealt with that difficult topic with honesty and sensitivity. At the same time, both timelines have a sweet, rom-com feel to them, as Paige compares her experiences to every holiday movie (and rom-com) she’s ever loved. There is plenty of humor here, too. The audio was very well-done with narrator Erin Spencer hitting the teen voice perfectly. I enjoyed this novel and like that it is fun, with the alternate timelines and rom-com vibes, but that it also tackles the serious issue of Paige's crippling anxiety and self-doubt in a very real way.

 

336 pages, Scholastic Press

 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 


Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 
  

 

Or you can order One Way or Another from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.


Tuesday, April 20, 2021

TV Tuesday: Debris

Most of the TV shows we're enjoying right now are returns of old favorites like The Rookie, Good Girls, and New Amsterdam, but we've also gotten into a new sci fi series that just debuted this spring, Debris.

British agent Finola Jones, played by Riann Steele, and American agent Bryan Beneventi, played by Jonathan Tucker, are working together on an international, top-secret mission. Months ago, an alien spacecraft exploded over Earth, and the debris has been raining down on the planet ever since. Its alien technology does strange things and has horrible effects on the humans that come into contact with it. Bryan and Finola travel all over the U.S., going wherever a piece of debris has been found, no matter how small, to collect it and document the strange effects it causes ... and hopefully, to keep the people nearby from being harmed. Of course, there are bad guys, a group called INFLUX, that want to get their hands on the technology, too, led by the nefarious, bearded Anson Ash (who is played by--no kidding--Scroobius Pip). As the two investigators race against the clock to try to collect the pieces before they can do harm (or get scooped up by INFLUX), the mysteries deepen. In each location, the effects of the debris get stranger and stranger, while well above their paygrades, different countries are scrambling to get an advantage in spite of their apparent cooperation, and INFLUX is experimenting with their own violent uses of the technology.

We have watched seven episodes so far and are enjoying this sci fi-mystery-thriller. The two main characters are likeable, though each has his or her own secrets and past. The alien technology is certainly very strange and intriguing, and it's impossible to predict what will happen in each episode. We have seen lots of this type of sci fi-mystery-thriller, and we always enjoy them, even though they don't always last very long (my husband's theory is that the writers don't know what to do next with the weird things they have thought up!). I'm hoping this one will stick around for a while because its mysteries are interesting and its plotlines suspenseful.

Debris is currently airing on Mondays on NBC and is available the next day on Peacock (free). It is also available on Hulu.

If you enjoy this kind of sci fi-mystery-thriller show, you might also consider some others we've enjoyed (my reviews, trailers, and info on how to watch at the links):  



Monday, April 19, 2021

Movie Monday: Moxie

I spent a couple of nights down at the beach last week, on a little solo getaway, which meant plenty of reading, writing time, and ... watching movies my husband wouldn't be interested in! I enjoyed Set It Up, a rom-com on Netflix, but it wasn't fabulous, just a fun, light rom-com. My first night, though, I watched Moxie, a mother-daughter, coming-of-age movie (also on Netflix) that I really loved.

Amy Poehler plays Lisa, single mom to sixteen-year-old Vivian, played by Hadley Robinson. Lisa often jokes about her "misspent youth" as a rebel, protesting and getting involved in feminist causes, and Viv mostly just rolls her eyes. She's a quiet, shy girl who's had the same best friend, Claudia (played by Lauren Tsai), since they were tots. Viv's awakening begins when a new girl starts at their very traditional high school. Lucy, played by Alycia Pascual-Pena, dares to speak up in class, about how their English curriculum includes only "old white guys," and she refuses to put up with the abuse from Mitchell, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, that all the other girls take for granted. Mitchell is the school's star football player and is pretty much given carte blanche for his bad behavior since he is so charming to the adults running the school. Principal Shelly, played by Marcia Gay Harden, is particularly enraptured by Mitchell and has a very traditional "boys will be boys" attitude. Seeing Lucy speak up makes Viv start to think about the double standards and what she and the other girls at school have put up with for so long. She digs out the old suitcase with all her mom's counter-culture materials, and her imagination is sparked about how she can maybe make a difference. She starts a feminist 'zine that sparks a revolution at her school, all the while helping her to figure out who she is and what she believes in.

I loved this movie! It made me realize that while light, fun movies are OK, I prefer mine with a core of meaning and consequence. The acting is all outstanding in this film, including Marcia Gay Harden, who you will love to hate. Amy Poehler is not the center of this movie, nor does she play a typically comedic part, but she is great in the quiet role of Viv's mom.The young actors playing the students at Viv's school all bring depth to their characters, moving well beyond the typical stereotypes (in fact, outright busting many of those stereotypes). The writing was good, too. The movie has a serious core and addresses important issues, but it also has some romance and plenty of humor. All in all, it's the whole package: a fun, uplifting movie with heart and a powerful message. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a huge smile on my face at the end. You'll be cheering for Viv and her friends, too!

Moxie is a Netflix original, so it is available exclusively on the streaming service.

Check out the trailer for a preview of the fun, inspiring tone:



It's Monday 4/19! What Are You Reading?


My mini solo beach getaway was great last week! I drove down to the Delaware beaches (about 90 minutes from where we live) Tuesday morning to stay in a friend's empty condo for a couple of nights. Stress has been high lately, and I just needed to get away and spend some time alone. I love my husband dearly, and we enjoy spending time together, but we've been together 24/7 for the past 13 months! He was supportive of my trip and enjoyed extra golf time last week. I love the freedom of getting on the road (we miss our long road trips of the past), even though the weather wasn't looking good as I left on Tuesday. I met a friend who lives there at the beach when I arrived, and we enjoyed a walk together and the chance to see each other in person and catch up. But, it was COLD and windy, with stormy-looking skies.

Dark skies but still nice to walk on the beach!

By later that day, though, the skies cleared, the sun came out, and I drove back to the beach (just a few miles away from the condo) to sit and read and enjoy the evening sunshine, the sound of the waves and the seagulls, and the peace and tranquility.

A beautiful evening at the beach later that day!

To my surprise, it was still sunny the next morning, so I headed back to the beach before the next rainstorm came in and managed a little work from my beach chair. Before I left for home on Thursday, I stopped at Fractured Prune, which makes hot, fresh, custom donuts that are basically the best food ever invented. The ones covered with loads of toppings are my own special invention: maple glaze with coconut, chocolate chips, and peanuts ... and yes, they are as good as they look!

A special treat for my husband and I

I even recorded part of my Friday Reads video from the beach, so check that out for some "on location" reporting (and to hear about the books I was reading while away).


I also posted a second video last week, of my March Reading Wrap-Up - this is different than the monthly summary here on my blog, with a brief recap of each of the books I read and what I liked about them. March was a great reading month!


And here's what we've all been reading this past week--kind of a long summary from me because I have been reading lots of short books lately:


I finished Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, a gift from my Easter basket, and the three short stories that were also included in the book. I've never read Capote before, though I saw the famous movie adaptation with Audrey Hepburn. I watched the movie a long time ago and didn't remember much of the plot, but it's impossible to read the book without picturing Hepburn in the lead role (even though she's blond in the book). In case you're not familiar with it, it's the story of a young woman named Holly Golightly, as told by an unnamed male narrator who lives in the apartment above hers in a brownstone in NYC. Holly is an unusual woman, to say the least. She has loads of charm and poise and hobnobs with wealthy men, though her own past is quite mysterious. I really enjoyed this novella, with its rich descriptions and dialogue that make you feel like you are right there, in post-war New York with them. The three short stories also included in the book were all excellent and each very different. My favorite was A Christmas Memory, a sweet, poignant story which is largely autobiographical.

Next up, I couldn't get my book group selection from the library before my beach trip, so I chose a short middle-grade novel, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick, from my shelves. This turned out to be an excellent choice! I absolutely loved this outstanding novel that made me laugh and cry. Thirteen-year-old Steven does pretty well in school, but his passion is playing the drums. He's good enough that he's one of only two eighth-graders who plays in the All-City High School Jazz Band. He's had a massive crush on Renee since third grade, but she doesn't know he exists. And, he has an adorable but annoying little brother named Jeffrey. Steven's and his family's lives are turned upside down that fall when they find out that Jeffrey has leukemia. His mom spends all her time by Jeffrey's side in hospitals, his dad becomes mute and won't even look Steven in the eye, and Steven feels all alone with this huge, horrible thing that's happening. The novel is all about how Steven--and the rest of his family--get through this ordeal, with the help of friends, classmates, and drums. Yes, it's about childhood cancer, and it did make me cry several times (then again while reading the Afterword where the author explains why he wrote it), but it also made me laugh--a lot! This is a must-read.

I finished another excellent middle-grade book last week, a graphic novel called Flamer by Mike Curato. It's the story of thirteen-year-old Aiden's summer at Boy Scout camp, a place that he normally loves. While he's enjoying all the usual activities, the beautiful outdoors, and the camaraderie, this summer Aiden is also very worried about going to high school in the fall. He gets teased a lot and bullied, and he's scared that the big public high school will be even worse than his Catholic elementary school has been. To make things worse, he's self-conscious about his appearance, gets teased about his race, and worries that he might be gay, which is not acceptable in his Catholic upbringing. Even his beloved Boy Scouts are anti-gay (the book takes place in the 90's), so what happens if Aiden is gay? But he's not; he can't be. The wonderfully drawn black and white pictures (with some splashes of red where there is fire) and story follow Aiden's struggles that summer, which the author says are autobiographical. It's a moving, powerful story about identity, friendship, and acceptance.

Finally, I returned home, picked up my library book, and started on my next book group pick, Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Doug Tallamy. Doug is a local author and has written several books about nature, biodiversity, and native plants. This one also covers those topics but with a focus on what you (and all of us ordinary people) can do to make a difference in this rapidly deteriorating ecological situation we find ourselves in, by planting native plants in our own yards. He details how and why such a small-seeming step can make such a big difference. This book is so far dovetailing well with The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, which I read (and loved) in February. It's interesting so far, and for me, is mostly explaining some of the underlying reasons why native plants are so important. I am also enjoying the gorgeous, full-color photographs throughout the book, especially since many of them were taken here in my area in places familiar to me.

I just last night finished listening to Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss. I really loved Krauss' earlier novel, The History of Love, which has two disparate stories/characters that eventually come together in a story about (you guessed it) love. I also read her next novel, Great House, a finalist for the National Book Award, which was also good, though it felt a bit too bleak for my tastes. Forest Dark follows a similar approach as those earlier novels, with two separate narratives, with just a location/place in common between them. Sixty-six-year-old Epstein was very successful and wealthy in New York. Recently, though, since retiring, he has been giving away his money, and he has now traveled to Israel, staying at the Tel Aviv Hilton, to try to find a way to honor his parents' memory. In an alternate storyline, a successful female novelist has writer's block, so she travels to Tel Aviv, where she also stays at the Hilton. She has stayed there every summer of her life, and she has a vague idea to set her next novel there and is hoping the surroundings will get her writing again. While there, she gets involved with a legend/rumor that Kafka did not die as reported but moved to Israel where he recovered and lived out his life. The whole thing was quite complex. Some chapters kept me interested and engaged, and others moved a bit slowly for me. The book is very much focused on Jewish culture and history, so I learned a lot.

My husband, Ken, has just started a new book, another Christmas gift from me, One By One by Ruth Ware. He and I both enjoy Ware's wonderful, nail-biting thrillers. I reviewed In the Dark, Dark Wood (never stay in a glass house) and The Woman in Cabin 10 (watch out for small cruises). All he told me about this new one is that people are being killed, one by one (hence the title!). Sounds a bit like Agatha Christie's classic, And Then There Were None, which I read recently, and I see some reviewers have made the same comparison. Amazon says it's about a group of nine people at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps for a corporate retreat who get snowed in together, with one person still out on the slopes when the avalanche hits. Sounds like a suspenseful one!

Our 26-year-old son is immersed in one of his favorite series, Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. He's now onto book 4, Rhythm of War, which is a mere 1232 pages ... and hardcover! I'm sure he'll be bringing this one home with him next weekend when he visits--just a bit of light reading for travel. He loves epic fantasy, the longer the better, and he thinks my annual Big Book Summer Challenge (coming up next month!) where I read 400+ page books each summer is pretty funny!

 

 

Just one blog post last week, in addition to the two #BookTube videos:

My Summary of Books Read in March - an excellent reading month with good progress in my challenges!

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?