It's Monday 6/27! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Well, I don't have lots of lovely pictures to share like I did last week, because I barely left the house. Looking back, these are the only photos I took all last week:

In the recliner

Ready to donate!

Enjoying Big Book Summer!

The first represents a large part of my week, spent lying on the couch or in the recliner. My chronic illness flared up--who knows why? Sometimes, there's just no explanation ... though my father-in-law in the nursing home has a cold and sort of forgot how to blow his nose. So, while I always wear a medical mask while visiting (and it's required), I was literally wiping his nose for him. Being exposed to a cold might have been all it took to trigger my immune system and knock me out for a few days. I'm feeling better now.

The second photo is of the large pile of boxes and bags ready for donation. I finally called last week for a charity pick-up. Much of this has been piling up for months, but I made a special effort this weekend to go through my closet and filled two more boxes! This pile makes me very happy, even though it's just a drop in the ocean of clutter in our home (including all my father-in-law's stuff and all our son's stuff, too). It's a start!

But, we did have some fun this weekend, too. We had dinner at our friends' house Friday night. We've been friends with them for over 30 years, and we hadn't seen them in a long time (since before I got COVID in January), so we very much enjoyed an evening of great company, great food, great conversation, and plenty of laughs.

And our older son came home for a postponed Father's Day visit. He was only here for about 18 hours, but we enjoyed his company, ate some good meals, and watched the finale of season four of Star Trek: Discovery, a show we only watch when he's home! I really need to take photos when the four of us are together because it's becoming less frequent. Here we are, all together on Easter:

You may have noticed in one of the photos above my Big Book Summer Challenge mug! Since it's the 10th anniversary of the challenge, I made up all sorts of fun products to celebrate, including different sized mugs, notebooks, tote bags, t-shirts, stickers, and a car magnet (which I also got!).

Just one new book-related video last week:

Friday Reads 6-24-22 - my brief weekly chat about what I'm reading

 

And here's what we're all reading this week:

I finished The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, my Big Book classic for this summer! I've been hearing great things about it for years, from friends and my husband. It is a very readable, fast-paced novel, full of action that can be summed up as: the greatest revenge story of all time! I'm not really into revenge stories, but this had a very intricate, twisty plot that was engrossing. And it had a sort of weird but basically happy ending!

 

Now, I am onto my next Big Book of the Summer, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I gave this book to my husband for Father's Day last year and have been wanting to read it. We both enjoyed Weir's two previous novels, The Martian and Artemis (don't know why that one didn't get much buzz). This book is about a man who wakes from a coma to find he is all alone on a spaceship, and the rest of his crew has died. He has amnesia and doesn't even remember his own name, let alone what he's doing on a spaceship and what his mission is. Great premise, right? It starts off like a shot, with Weir's trademark tense suspense combined with science and a great dose of humor. I'm loving it so far and staying up much too late reading every night! And guess what? I see on IMdB that movie adaptations of both Artemis and Project Hail Mary (starring Ryan Gosling) are in development!

 

On audio, I am still listening to another Big Book, Gone by Michael Grant. This is YA science fiction, about a coastal town in California where all of the adults (in fact, everyone 15 or older) suddenly disappear one day in an instant. And that's just the beginning of super-strange happenings. Young teens are left on their own to take care of themselves--and of the younger kids--while trying to figure out what caused this inexplicable disaster. It's actually the beginning of a long series that's been called Lord of the Flies for the 21st century! I'm enjoying it very much so far, though I don't love the audio narrator. It's a gripping, intriguing story.

 

My husband, Ken, is almost finished with his first Big Book of the summer. He chose a chunkster I loved, All Clear by Connie Willis. This is part 2 of the duology that began with Blackout, which I read for Big Book Summer 2021. Both books are outstanding and among my very favorites. The premise is that, in 2060, a group of Oxford historians have all gone back in time to different places and times within England during WWII. Their goal (as in all of this Oxford time travel series) is to study history by witnessing it first-hand. But this time, something goes wrong with the technology and some of them get stuck back in the 1940's in the midst of war-torn England, with three of them in London during the Blitz. These books are both so great! They're a mix of fascinating historical detail, nail-biting suspense, and the kind of twisty time travel problems that I love, plus humor, too. My husband is loving it, and I'm trying hard not to give anything away! You can read my reviews of both books (no spoilers) at the links above.

 

Our son, 27, loves epic fantasies and was recently hooked on the series Art of the Adept by Michael G. Manning. Since book 6 isn't out yet, he switched over to one of Manning's other series (and another favorite of his), Mageborn. He hasn't yet read the last two books of this series, so he started back at book one, The Blacksmith's Son, re-reading to get ready for books four and five. He finished book one while he was here and immediately started book two, The Line of Illeniel. Clearly, he loves this author!  

No new blog posts last week! Just not enough energy to write. I will try to catch up this week.

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?

It's Monday 6/20! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

I'm back! I skipped last week's Monday post because we were able to get away for a quick camping trip! Our son was working from home so could take over Grandad duties, so my husband and I drove about an hour north for a brief respite. It turned out to be a nice little relaxing break, though it was over much too soon!

Large, shady campsite in the woods

Best part of camping: extra reading time!

We camped at French Creek State Park in southeastern Pennsylvania and enjoyed a short hike on Monday from the larger Hopewell Lake, along Scott's Run Creek to the smaller Scott's Run Lake (both created by dams). It was quiet and beautiful!

Hopewell Lake was FULL of water lilies in bloom!

Beautiful day at Hopewell Lake

Smaller Scott's Run Lake

My husband on the Lenape trail

Back home, things quickly got hectic again, including a completely unnecessary 6-hour trip to the ER for my 97-year-old father-in-law. But we enjoyed a nice Father's Day weekend. Unfortunately, our boys couldn't be home yesterday, but our younger son got back today and is playing golf with his dad. And our older son will visit next weekend instead. So, my husband and I enjoyed a quiet day together. We took a hike at the local nature center, then spent some time with his dad. When we found out our older son couldn't make the trip, we postponed dinner plans until today and instead, ordered Chinese and watched the Ozark finale (hated the ending!).

My husband and I hiking Sunday

Visiting my FIL for Father's Day

 

Big Book Summer Challenge is now in full swing! It's simple and easy-going: you set your own goals, to read just one or two or however many Big Books you want this summer. And a Big Book is any book (any type, any genre) with 400 or more pages. We're having some great discussions in the Goodreads group. And it's only June, so there's still plenty of time to join the fun!

 

I posted three new videos since my last Monday post:

May Reading Wrap-Up - an excellent reading month!

Friday Reads 6-10-22 - my weekly reading update

Friday Reads 6-17-22 and Camping! - my reading update, both peaceful nature videos from our trip.

Since I did my May Wrap-Up video, here is my 2022 Reading Challenge Update, as of the end of May (including both April and May) (click the link to see the details of my challenges):

Mount TBR Challenge - I've still only read 11 books from my own shelves this year ... and my goal is 48! This happens with Booktopia because all of the featured books are new releases, so my April and May reading included many of those new books (unusual for me). Big Book Summer will help, though!

Monthly Motif Challenge - April was Books to Screen, and I discovered that The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle had been made into a TV series in 1999 (but, wow, this one looks so bad, complete with cheesy special effects and a busty, semi-clad woman). May was an easy one, Book Lovers Unite, any book about books or libraries, as The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson fit perfectly.

Back to the Classics 2022 - My goal is to read 6 classics this year, and I've already read four, adding The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle in April.

Alphabet Soup Challenge - I have 17 letters filled in so far (of 26). It gets harder once the common letters are used!

Nonfiction Reader Challenge - I have read five nonfiction books so far this year (my goal is twelve), adding The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum in May, in the category of Published in 2022.

Diversity Challenge - I've already read 25 diverse books this year! My goal is 40, so I'm doing well with this one. And I got May's mini-challenge, Asian or Pacific Islander, with The Verifiers by Jane Pek.

Travel the World in Books - I've added Russia (twice) and Brazil in the last two months, so I've been to nine countries so far in my books this year.

Literary Escapes Challenge - I've filled in 15 of the 51 states (including DC) so far. This one also gets more difficult once you get the more common states, like NY and California.

 

And here's what we've all been reading in the past two weeks, mostly for Big Book Summer:

 

I have been engrossed in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, my Big Book classic for this summer! I've been hearing great things about it for years, from friends and my husband. It is a very readable, fast-paced novel, full of action that can be summed up as: the greatest revenge story of all time! For more details on the set-up (no spoilers), check out my latest Friday Reads video. I'm enjoying it and am down to less than 100 pages left. I'm hoping for a happy ending, but that's very doubtful in this case!

On audio, I have been listening to another Big Book, Gone by Michael Grant. This is YA science fiction, about a coastal town in California where all of the adults (in fact, everyone 15 or older) suddenly disappear one day in an instant. Young teens are left on their own to take care of themselves--and of the younger kids--while trying to figure out what caused this inexplicable disaster. It's actually the beginning of a long series that's been called Lord of the Flies for the 21st century! I'm enjoying it so far, though I don't love the audio narrator. It's a gripping, intriguing story.

 

My husband, Ken, is reading his first Big Book of the summer. He chose a chunkster I loved, All Clear by Connie Willis. This is part 2 of the duology that began with Blackout, which I read for Big Book Summer 2021. Both books are outstanding and among my very favorites. The premise is that, in 2060, a group of Oxford historians have all gone back in time to different places and times within England during WWII. Their goal (as in all of this Oxford time travel series) is to study history by witnessing it first-hand. But this time, something goes wrong with the technology and some of them get stuck back in the 1940's in the midst of war-torn England, with three of them in London during the Blitz. These books are both so great! They're a mix of fascinating historical detail, nail-biting suspense, and the kind of twisty time travel problems that I love, plus humor, too. My husband is loving it, and I'm trying hard not to give anything away! You can read my reviews of both books (no spoilers) at the links above.

 

 

Our son, 27, loves epic fantasies and was recently hooked on the series Art of the Adept by Michael G. Manning. Last I heard, he was reading book 4, Disciple of War, but when I checked in today, he said he finished that one and book 5,  The Wizard's Crown! Since book 6 isn't out yet, he switched over to one of Manning's other series (and another favorite of his), Mageborn. He hasn't yet read the last two books of this series, so he's starting back at book one, The Blacksmith's Son, re-reading to get ready for books four and five. Clearly, he loves this author!

Blog posts from the past two weeks:

Teen/YA Review: The Final Six by Alexandra Monir - Post-apocalyptic story of teens training to establish a colony on another world

TV Tuesday: The Flight Attendant - a darkly humorous thriller starring Kaley Cuoco

Fiction Review: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu - a quirky yet warm and funny sci fi novel about a time travel machine repairman searching for his father

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?

Fiction Review: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

I love the fun, interesting book lists posted by BookBub, and I took special note of one titled, "13 Uplifting Science Fiction Novels." I wrote down every title listed there that involved any kind of time travel/twisting of time (my favorite sci fi trope). One of those was How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu, and my husband gave me the novel for Christmas. It was a very unique, weird novel but one with heart and humor.

Charles Yu (yes, the main character has the author's name - weird thing #1) works as a time travel machine repairman in Minor Universe 31. He lives 24/7 in his own time travel machine, about the size of a small closet, with a space-age dog (who doesn't need food or water but still pants and drools) named Ed and the female AI named TAMMY that runs his little ship. Charles goes out on calls whenever someone in MU-31 gets stuck somewhere (or somewhen), perhaps attempting something they shouldn't have, like trying to change the past, and needs a repairman. That's Charles' job, but his true purpose in life is to find his missing father. His dad is one of the inventors of time travel, who figured out the science working in his garage at night and on weekends. In fact, Charles was usually by his side, working with his dad from the time he was a little boy, though he didn't know back then what they were working on. When he's not working or visiting his lonely mother in the real world, Charles goes back in time to visit his own childhood, to observe these early scenes of he and his father working together in the garage on their mission, looking for clues as to where his dad might have gone. He also thinks the key might be found in a manual, given to him by a future version of himself, called How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. As Charles goes back and forth in time and studies the manual, accompanied by Ed and TAMMY, he gets closer and closer to figuring out the mysteries that define his life.

Interspersed between the narrative chapters of this novel are excerpts from that titular manual. In addition, the entire thing is set in a "science fictional universe," so there is a lot of made-up science here, too. But, surprisingly, this is a very warmhearted and funny novel. As Charles travels back to observe his own childhood, the reader (and TAMMY) come to understand the relationship that Charles had with his father, though his dad was not an affectionate man. You can see how years of working together side-by-side developed an emotional closeness that Charles now yearns for, hence his desperation to find his father. The novel also has a quirky sense of humor, resulting in plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, like when Charles gets called out to help Luke Skywalker's son or dealing with TAMMY's low self-esteem. In short ... yeah, it's a very weird novel, but with humor, an unexpected warmth, and even some real-world life lessons. I enjoyed it.

233 pages, Vintage Contemporaries

 Recorded Books

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Mount TBR Challenge

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, explaining how he found Ed, ended up in his job, and about TAMMY, 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 How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

 

TV Tuesday: The Flight Attendant

Our adult son is living at home now, due to his job circumstances. Since he's enjoying free cable and all of our streaming services, he decided to buy HBO Max and share it with us (our profile is named Parentals). One of the shows I immediately started, that I've wanted to see since its release last year, is The Flight Attendant. It's based on the novel of the same name by Chris Bojhalian, one of my favorite authors, though I haven't read this particular novel yet. My husband and I are loving this unique twisty thriller with a dark sense of humor.

Cassie, played by Kaley Cuoco of The Big Bang Theory,  works as an international flight attendant who takes full advantage of her youth and freedom. Cassie is the consummate party girl, going out every night, drinking heavily, and sleeping with whomever she finds attractive. On one flight to Bangkok, working alongside with her fellow flight attendants and friends, Megan (played by Rosie Perez) and Shane (played by Griffin Matthews), Cassie flirts with the cute guy in First Class 3-C and ends up going out with him that night. That cute guy is Alex, played by Michiel Huisman, and he and Cassie really hit it off, going from one restaurant/bar to another, until they end the night together in Alex's luxury hotel room. Cassie really likes this guy, and Alex seems to feel the same way about her. Unfortunately, their perfect night together is marred when Cassie wakes up with Alex dead in a puddle of blood beside her and no memory of how the night ended. Cassie has a drinking problem, and this isn't the first time she's been blackout drunk, but it's the first time she's been involved in a murder. Shocked and terrified, Cassie leaves the hotel, tells no one, and gets on the flight back to NY, seriously shook up. Of course, the authorities soon figure out that she was with Alex. Thus begins a frantic, whirlwind mystery/thriller, as Cassie, the FBI, and some mysterious (but clearly bad) people all try to figure out what happened to Alex. Cassie herself is, of course, a suspect, and her spotty memory doesn't help. She avoids her kind, stable brother, Davey (played by T.R. Knight, who will always be George from Grey's Anatomy to me), and enlists her best friend, Annie (played by Zosia Mamet, of Girls fame), who's a lawyer, to help her, but soon she is running from both criminals and the authorities, as she tries to get to the bottom of Alex's murder.

Wow, this is one twisty thriller! Each episode is filled with surprises and new plot turns we never see coming. Kaley Cuoco is outstanding in her role as Cassie, the perfectly unreliable narrator who comes across as a hot mess but is nonetheless likable. The rest of the cast is also outstanding. The writing and dialogue are quick, witty, and engaging, with a dark sense of humor that makes you laugh at Cassie's escapades, even as you feel sorry for her, root for her, and fear for her life! We have just started season two, and with each new episode, we never know where the plot is headed or what is in store for Cassie and her friends (and enemies). We're thoroughly enjoying this fast-paced, zany, unpredictable, and fun show and can't wait to see what happens next!

The Flight Attendant is an HBO original and is available on HBO Max or YouTube TV.

 

Teen/YA Review: The Final Six

I was looking for a quick audiobook for the week before the #BigBookSummer Challenge began, something I could listen to and enjoy in the short time before I switched to Big Books for the summer. The Final Six by Alexandra Monir, a YA science fiction novel, was the perfect fit!

This novel takes place in a near future, where the climate crisis on Earth has passed the point of no return. Sea levels have risen--and continue to rise--so that entire regions have disappeared, and it is too late for humans to stop the disaster from continuing. International leaders have agreed to a plan: to send six teenagers to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons that experts think can sustain human life, to set up a colony. To accomplish this, they choose 24 of the best and the brightest teens from around the world, each with different skills and talents. The 24 teens will go through a two-week space camp to train and be evaluated, and then the final six will be chosen. Two teens in particular are the focus of this novel. Leo lives in Rome, Italy, and has lost his entire family in the climate disaster. As the novel opens, he has decided he has nothing left to live for. Getting chosen as one of the 24 literally saves his life, and Leo wants to be a part of this project. Leo's extraordinary talents are swimming, diving, and holding his breath underwater, all of which will be essential for the Europa mission. Naomi is one of two teens chosen from the United States. She is brilliant in science and computers, but has no interest in leaving Earth, probably forever. Unlike Leo, Naomi does have a family, including a little brother with a heart defect. Her mission in life is to find a cure for her brother's condition, and even as a teen, she has already made inroads into genetic therapy. The other teen candidate from the U.S. is an excellent swimmer, like Leo, and happens to be the nephew of the President. Leo and Naomi and the other candidates train and compete for the six positions, while things begin to go wrong, even as they are safely ensconced at NASA.

This was an intriguing premise: sort of like a competitive reality show with real-life stakes, with the state of the Earth a chilling, all-too-real situation. Leo and Naomi were the central characters here, though the author also introduces readers to many of the other teens as well. This story was loaded with tension and suspense, with multiple ways that this mission--and the training camp--can go wrong. I enjoyed it on audio, narrated by both the author and James Fouhey (as Naomi and Leo, respectively) and was engrossed from beginning to end. The novel ends with the final six being chosen, and there is a sequel, The Life Below, about what happens once the teens leave on the mission.

320 pages, HarperTeen

HarperAudio

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Alphabet Soup Challenge - F

Diversity Challenge

Literary Escapes Challenge - Texas

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 The Final Six from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

 

It's Monday 6/6! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

We're fully into the annual Big Book Summer Challenge now! And since it runs all the way until early September, there is still lots of time left to join the fun! You set your own goals, even if it's just one book, and a Big Book is any book with 400 or more pages--any type, any genre. You can check out all the details on the Big Book Summer challenge page.

Join the fun!

Our "big" news is simply that my husband and I finally had a day off this weekend, just for fun! With all the trips, family visits, cleaning, cooking, etc. in recent months, we really needed a little break. Plus, the weather broke and went from 95 and humid all last week to a lovely, dry 80 and sunny this weekend. So, we greatly enjoyed a hike along an idyllic local creek on a perfect summer day Saturday.

Ahhh! Back out on the trail.

My husband, with one foot in PA and one foot in DE.

Perfect reflection of the trees in the creek.

We enjoyed take-out Saturday evening and some good TV, plus coffee and pain au chocolat on Sunday morning at home. And our son came back to visit yesterday, and he and I went to an out-of-state doctor's appointment today, through beautiful, scenic Amish farmland on another lovely day.

Here's what we've all been reading this week:

 

I kicked off my own #BigBookSummer Challenge with a fast-paced thriller, Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, a favorite author of mine and my husband. This is part of his newer series featuring female detective Renee Ballard, but this one is a cross-over where Ballard works together with Connelly's most famous detective, Harry Bosch. They are digging into a very cold case that got under Harry's skin, while Renee also juggles her work as an LAPD detective on the "late show" (the midnight shift). I loved it! We also started watching the new TV show, Bosch: Legacy last week, which was a little weird to be reading about and watching the same character! If you haven't yet seen the original Bosch TV series on Amazon, we highly recommend it. And all of Connelly's books are excellent.

I've also been listening to my first Big Book on audio for the summer, A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller, which I am loving so far. As it opens, eighteen-year-old Arthur Louis Pullman the Third is trying to deal with the disaster his life's become, after he lost his car, his best friend, his girlfriend, and his college scholarship. His dad wants him to spend time with his aunt and uncle in the family home, but on his first night there, Arthur discovers an old journal written by his grandfather, the original Arthur, a Salinger-like famous but reclusive author whose first (and only) novel is still read by high school students. Arthur's grandfather had Alzheimer's, and a week before his death, he went missing and was found dead many hundreds of miles from home. With the help of the journal (written from the depths of dementia), Arthur is now trying to follow his grandfather's last movements, riding cross-country on trains and trying to decipher his last written words. It's excellent so far!

 

My husband, Ken, is reading his first Big Book of the summer, too! He chose a chunkster I loved, All Clear by Connie Willis. This is part 2 of the duology that began with Blackout, which I read for Big Book Summer 2021. Both books are outstanding and among my very favorites. The premise is that, in 2060, a group of Oxford historians have all gone back in time to different places and times within England during WWII. Their goal (as in all of this Oxford time travel series) is to study history by witnessing it first-hand. But this time, something goes wrong with the technology and some of them get stuck back in the 1940's in the midst of war-torn England, with three of them in London during the Blitz. These books are both so great! They're a mix of fascinating historical detail, nail-biting suspense, and the kind of twisty time travel problems that I love, plus humor, too. You can read my reviews of both books (no spoilers!) at the links above.

 

Our son, 27, good-humoredly pokes fun at my annual Big Book Summer Challenge because he rarely reads a book under 400 pages! He favors hefty epic fantasies with 600-1200 pages in each book. He is currently hooked on the series Art of the Adept by Michael G. Manning. He just finished book 3, Scholar of Magic (which, by the way, is almost 700 pages in print!). When I asked what he plans to read next, he grinned and said book 4! That would be Disciple of War. He's really loving this series and says the characters are fully-developed and really pull you into the stories.

Blog posts from last week:

TV Tuesday: Shining Girls - I loved this book and am loving the TV adaptation - so good!!!

Fiction Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson - this novel surprised me with its emotional depth and historical detail.

Memoir Review: The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum - one woman's struggle with depression and how horses and polo helped her begin to heal

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?

Memoir Review: The Year of the Horses

One of the last books I read for this year's Booktopia event in May was a memoir, The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum. This moving personal story of depression and healing is sometimes wrenching and sometimes joyful but always engaging. 

The author shares her story of a depression so severe, with insomnia so horrible, that she finally seeks professional help. Her new therapist, who barely seems old enough to have completed his schooling, is actually quite helpful and eventually suggests she try horseback riding, which leads Courtney back through a torrent of childhood memories, both good and bad. She was once a pretty typical horse-crazy little girl, who took riding lessons and cared for "her" horse, and dreamed of Pegasus and other magical horses. Her beloved time with horses came to an abrupt end. Now, thirty years later, she returns to the stables, uncertain where this will lead but feeling an immediate peace with the smell of hay and warm horse bodies. She gradually, slowly, relearns how to ride, finding an activity just for her, in the midst of her busy life as a wife, mother, and writer. Just riding isn't enough, though, and she soon becomes fascinated with the sport of polo, something she never encountered before. Throughout her telling of this present-day story of horses and healing, Courtney returns back to her childhood, sharing memories that show early indications of depression and anxiety in the midst of a chaotic, unsettled adolescence. Bit by bit, Courtney's past and present merge, as her therapy and her love of horses--and newfound love of polo--begin to help her heal and move forward.

I'll admit, I was never one of those horse-crazy girls as a child and have never experienced severe depression, so I wasn't sure I would be able to relate to this memoir going into it. I've enjoyed horseback riding--as a child and as an adult--but was never really zealous about it. But, Courtney writes about her experiences with such depth and passion that I was pulled right into her story, and I could certainly relate to her experiences as a wife, mother, and writer. She writes about her feelings and her life with a visceral openness that engages the reader. In fact, despite the differences in our experiences, I marked many passages in her memoir that spoke to me, like this passage about the experience of being mother to a child who is growing up:

"Positive, selfless touch was something I was in need of in my thirty-eighth year on earth. The baby who had lived her life strapped to my chest, cooing and blowing bubbles into my exposed skin, was now a toddler who wanted to do everything herself, who squirmed out of my arms when I was craving intimacy, who survived on cheese crackers and apple cider instead of my own milk. My body seemed invisible; it wasn't looked at by my husband, and because we lived in the middle of the woods in an already rural area, it wasn't looked at by anyone else."

It's these kinds of raw, honest emotions that drew me into this memoir, despite my different experiences. Isn't that what the best memoirs do? They give us insight into lives different from ours while also presenting universal truths of human nature. Courtney Maum is quite talented in this regard, and I was fully immersed in her story. She is a new-to-me author, and I would like to try some of her novels.

266 pages, Tin House Books

Blackstone Publishing

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Alphabet Soup Challenge - Y

Nonfiction Reader Challenge (category = Published in 2022)

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 The Year of the Horses from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

 

Fiction Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

When my book group recently chose The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson, I thought, "Oh, OK, might be kind of interesting." I wasn't super excited and expected something light and shallow. Wow, was I wrong! I was completely engrossed in this novel from the first pages, with its fascinating historical background (in multiple topics), in-depth characters, and emotional depth.

In 1936, nineteen-year-old Cussy Mary Carter lives alone with her Pa in a remote, rustic cabin deep in the wooded hills of eastern Kentucky. Her Pa works in the coal mines and knows he is dying from the lung disease that takes most miners, so he feels an urgency to find Cussy a husband so that she will be taken care of after he's gone. But Cussy feels no such urgency. She is perfectly happy on her own, caring for her Pa and the cabin and working as a librarian for the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, part of the WPA. She loves her job and is proud of playing a role in bringing literacy and books to her neighbors, many of them even more remote and isolated than her and Pa. Most of her customers are equally happy to see her arrive on her mule, with panniers filled with books, magazines, and homemade local scrapbooks. For some of them, Cussy is their only link to the outside world, and she has even taught some of them to read. While her customers are mostly grateful to her, the rest of the local town treats Cussy and her Pa as outcasts because they come from a line of blue-skinned people. Her Pa says she is the last of their family born with blue skin, which is a blessing because they suffer from terrible discrimination and outright abuse. In addition, even at peace out in the woods on her mule with her books, Cussy has to be constantly on the alert for danger, including a cruel, abusive preacher who wants to "save" her (based on past history, he more likely wants to get rid of her). Finally, the doctor in town is generally kind to Cussy and her Pa, but he wants them to submit to invasive procedures and experiments, so he can get to the bottom of the cause of their blue skin and maybe become famous in the process. As you can see, Cussy has a lot to deal with, but she is a happy, determined, strong young woman who stands up for and protects her customers and others in her community.

There is just so much depth to this novel! It was an excellent choice for book group discussion, with many different topics to dissect. The historical details are extensively researched and woven into the compelling narrative: the Pack Horse Project, the blue people of Kentucky (yes, they were real!), and the devastating effects of the Depression on this already very poor region. Given the abuse and bias Cussy endures and the challenges her whole community faces, there are some very tough topics covered in this story, ranging from domestic abuse to sexual assault to racism to poverty. But there are also moments of joy, especially in Cussy's daily journeys up into the hills on her mule with her reading materials. These were my favorite parts of the book, as the joy and light that Cussy brings to her neighbors was highlighted. She reads the Bible to one blind woman, brings the children in the tiny, poor school out into the yard yelling with joy when they spot her, and even convinces one anti-book husband to relent and allow his wife and children to read. Cussy herself endures many, many challenges and tragedies throughout the story, but the pleasure of books and reading counters that sadness with delight. I was completely riveted by this novel and never wanted it to end. I definitely want to read its sequel, The Book Woman's Daughter.

320 pages, Sourcebooks Landmark

Blackstone Audio

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

 Monthly Motif Challenge - Book Lovers Unite - perfect choice!

Diversity Challenge

Literary Escapes Challenge - Kentucky

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

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

 

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 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.