5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
As if vengeance ever bore anything but bitter fruit.
This one hit the ground ru5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
As if vengeance ever bore anything but bitter fruit.
This one hit the ground running and never stopped. “To Fitz and the Fool. My best friends for over twenty years.” I knew as soon as I cracked the cover and read the dedication page that Robin Hobb was going to emotionally eviscerate me in this book. And she did. Before I even finished reading the prologue, I suspected it would be a 5-star read. And it was.
Don’t do what you can’t undo, until you’ve considered well what you can’t do once you’ve done it. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: There are children holding hands in a circle.
Favorite Quote: It looked more like a family gathering than a convening of people seeking to prevent a disaster. I thought of my own family and realized such gatherings were often both....more
5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
History is written by the victors, but it is made by the rebellious.
This book 5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
History is written by the victors, but it is made by the rebellious.
This book contains the information that your Social Studies and History textbooks intentionally omitted. While they still teach American children lies about Christopher Columbus discovering America, this book tells you about the actual first non-indigenous people that came to America’s shores. Forget the lies you were told about “state’s rights”, this book teaches you the real reason the Civil War was fought, as well as how the Revolutionary War was in large part due to protecting the practice of slavery.
Slavery existed in Africa before white people showed up, but human beings were not commodified or chattel. In pre-colonial Africa, enslaved people had legal rights, their status was not passed down to their children, and they did not serve as a major labor force. In fact, most of the previous iterations of human bondage around the world offered a path to freedom. To be fair, it is much easier to refer to America’s unique institution as “slavery” than it is to call it the “perpetual, race-based, constitutional, human trafficking enterprise that legally reduces human beings to chattel through the means of violence or the threat thereof.”
I could go on all day with examples, but you should just read the book to learn more about how our country was founded to how the GOP’s overt bigotry and fear mongering with imaginary threats continues to be effective today.
And according to Trump, America is the greatest country on earth, despite what the numbers say. We are a beacon of freedom and liberty even though we rank first in the world’s prison population. We are the smartest nation in the world, despite ranking fourteenth in education and second in ignorance. We believe in equality and tolerance, despite ranking number one on the list of the most racist countries in the world.
It is amazing and a great compliment to the author’s writing, that while discussing such vile and incomprehensible parts of history, he somehow makes you laugh. He manages to keep heavy topics light, even as your heart breaks and your temper flares. I found the inclusion of random childhood and family stories along with his digressions about food and music to be welcomed breaks that allowed your mind to consolidate and digest what you just took in.
From its inception, America was always a pyramid scheme where the wealthy benefited from the labor of the poor.
Perhaps because my spouse and I are in the process of emigrating out of the USA, or perhaps because like a privileged fool I did not pay attention to politics until several years ago when I was shocked to see the brazen bigotry and corruption that had always been there, this book really hit home. I highly recommend it to all Americans as well as everyone else.
Whiteness is not a social construct, nor is it as eternal or as confident as it seems. Whiteness is fleeting. It is a ghost; a shadow of an imaginary thing. It is the result of an insecurity that not only justifies man’s inhumanity to man, it reinforces the subconscious doubt in one’s own inferiority. Superiority does not require subjugation. A superior human being has no need.
You cannot fight oppression and discrimination, if you do not stay informed and vigilantly pay attention. In America, we must educate ourselves on our factual history, because you are not taught it in school nor any other inconvenient truths. Give me the painful truth every time, as I have no use for comfortable lies.
Like its history, this nation is a mirage. Its greatness is a figment of a collective white imagination that envisions a bright, shining star where there is only a dumpster fire. America is a con artist. It is a counterfeit farce of a white country convinced of its own supremacy. It is a boot on every Black throat and noose on every negro neck. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: I remember when I discovered America.
Favorite Quote: The lesson of Reconstruction is us. That we exist and breathe and love and sing and laugh and are still here is not a miracle or a revelation. It is a simple, unignorable fact that we cannot be extinguished. All the evil that the world has ever had to offer has been lobbed in our direction. They enslaved. They brainwashed. They lynched us separately and massacred us by the hundreds. They enslaved us by the boatload and sold our families in pieces. They mined our muscles and our minds for their profit and built an empire from it. And when we did the same without their help, they set it on fire. This is America - a floor slick with blood. But that is not who we are. ...more
5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
A country besieged by poverty is not a free country.
Despite struggling with a 5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
A country besieged by poverty is not a free country.
Despite struggling with a multi-year reading slump, I started reading this book yesterday and could not put it down until I was almost ¾ through. Unlike most reviewers, for me this one is far superior to and more powerful than the author’s other work, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. I could have easily highlighted half of the book.
This is who we are: the richest country on earth, with more poverty than any other advanced democracy.
It is very informative while being written in an engaging and easy to read style, as if you were enjoying a riveting conversation with the author in person. While much of it highlights sobering facts that America should be deeply ashamed of, it is also encouraging by laying out tangible and realistic ways we could end poverty in the USA. I just wish I shared the author’s optimism for our country to do the right thing.
The end of poverty is something to stand for, to march for, to sacrifice for. Because poverty is the dream killer, the capability destroyer, the great waster of human potential. It is a misery and a national disgrace, one that belies any claim to our greatness. The citizens of the richest nation in the world can and should finally put an end to it. We don’t need to outsmart this problem. We need to outhate it. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: Why is there so much poverty in America?
Favorite Quote: The biggest government subsidies are not directed at families trying to climb out of poverty but instead go to ensure that well-off families stay well-off. This leaves fewer resources for the poor. If this is our design, our social contract, then we should at least own up to it. We should at least stand up and profess, Yes, this is the kind of nation we want. What we cannot do is look the American poor in the face and say, We’d love to help you, but we just can’t afford to, because that is a lie. ...more
Time is the only thing we have, when all is said and done, and yet we never have enough of it.
When you read over 900 pages 5 stars - Utterly amazing.
Time is the only thing we have, when all is said and done, and yet we never have enough of it.
When you read over 900 pages and are sad to see it end, wishing for 900 more to go, yeah, then you know it's an incredible book. The first two books in this trilogy were not of the same lofty caliber that one has come to expect of Robin Hobb this far into the Realm of the Elderlings world (though still really good). She definitely saved the best for last with this jewel. What an emotional roller coaster, filled to the brim with adventure. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there anymore.
First Sentence: The White Prophet’s premise seems simple. ...more
The perfect ending to a delightful, modern fairie tale. I laughed, I gasped, I worried, I cheered. Bravo, Holly Black.
------5 stars - Utterly amazing.
The perfect ending to a delightful, modern fairie tale. I laughed, I gasped, I worried, I cheered. Bravo, Holly Black.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: All power is cursed. The most terrible among us will do anything to get it, and those who’d wield power best don’t want it thrust upon them.
First Sentence: The Royal Astrologer, Baphen, squinted at the star chart and tried not to flinch when it seemed sure the youngest prince of Elfhame was about to be dropped on his royal head. ...more
All of history a great wheel, turning inexorably. Just as seasons come and go, just as the moon moves endlessly through her 5 stars - Utterly amazing.
All of history a great wheel, turning inexorably. Just as seasons come and go, just as the moon moves endlessly through her cycle, so does time. The same wars are fought, the same plagues descend, the same folk, good or evil, rise to power. Humanity is trapped on that wheel, doomed endlessly to repeat the mistakes we have already made. Unless someone comes to change it.
So great, I now fear the inevitable book hangover that will follow. Put quite simply, one of the best books I have ever read. While I loved and enjoyed the first two in this trilogy, this one is somehow 100X better. So much heartbreak contained between the covers thanks to the author’s talent with character connection and depth, this story will stay with me for quite some time. A favorite for certain. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: I take myself with me. That’s all I truly need, or own.
First Sentence: I awake every morning with ink on my hands....more
What was I truly? In the end, I could not bear to know.
I was not 100% certain of whom Circe was before reading this, but now5 stars - Utterly amazing.
What was I truly? In the end, I could not bear to know.
I was not 100% certain of whom Circe was before reading this, but now I will never forget her.
This is the second novel that I have read by Madeline Miller, and both were 5 star reads that went straight to my elusive "Favorites" list . This one even surpassed the first, The Song of Achilles, so we’re officially in fangirl territory over here.
Greek mythology, ancient history, adventure plus the right dash of romance made for an epic and memorable read. I love the way the author weaves words, telling such a powerful story so simply. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote, (which was incredibly hard to pick): But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.
First Sentence: When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist....more
It happens sometimes in families; one child who doesn’t fit, whose rhythm is off, whose meter is set to the wrong tune.
Wha5 stars - Utterly amazing.
It happens sometimes in families; one child who doesn’t fit, whose rhythm is off, whose meter is set to the wrong tune.
What an enthralling, memorable read with smooth, quotable prose. It felt like three different stories, seamlessly rolled into one, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
The first part of the book deals with the author’s upbringing, which was radically different from that of the average American. Enjoy reading about drastically different cultures from your own? I’d recommend this book.
The second part of the book deals with the author going out into the “real world”, which vividly displayed a sharp contrast between the world she had previously known, and the one she currently found herself in. Enjoy reading about sudden immersions into foreign worlds and cultures (i.e., time travel novels)? I’d recommend this book.
The final part of the book deals with the author’s insightful reckoning, which ends with the realization that sometimes toxic people should not have a place in your life, even if you do love them. The “crazy” you may have dealt with in your family could be a different flavor, but the aftereffects often taste the same and are so utterly relatable. Enjoy reading about dysfunctional families? I’d recommend this book. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: You can love someone and still choose to say goodbye to them. You can miss a person every day, and still be glad that they are no longer in your life.
First Sentence: I’m standing on the red railway car that sits abandoned next to the barn....more
This. This page turning novel is a perfect example of why I keep4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
Game of Thrones meets Pride and Prejudice...
This. This page turning novel is a perfect example of why I keep giving YA books a chance. While I have outgrown them for the most part, some are truly diamonds in the rough. Not since The Hunger Games have I enjoyed a YA novel as much as this one. It screams to be made into a TV series - the cinematography could be amazing in the right hands. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Desire is an odd thing. As soon as it’s sated, it transmutes. If we receive golden thread, we desire the golden needle.
First Sentence: On a drowsy Sunday afternoon, a man in a long dark coat hesitated in front of a house on a tree-lined street....more
This is a story about memories and about letting go. It’s a love letter and a slow farewell between a man and his grandson, 5 stars - Utterly amazing.
This is a story about memories and about letting go. It’s a love letter and a slow farewell between a man and his grandson, and between a dad and his boy.
Such a sweet and touching read – easily devoured in one sitting. Backman does an amazing job of vividly putting into words the special bond between a child and their grandparent, while simultaneously displaying the heartbreaking, cruel effects of Alzheimer’s and similar diseases. It is a unique and contrasting combination of topics but the author dances between them beautifully. This story is told in simple but powerful words – one of my favorite writing styles. I particularly enjoyed how he described the world inside the grandfather’s mind; very creative and results in imagery that will not soon be forgotten.
“Our teacher made us write a story about what we want to be when we’re big,” Noah tells him. “What did you write?” “I wrote that I wanted to concentrate on being little first.” “That’s a very good answer.” “Isn’t it? I would rather be old than a grown-up. All grown-ups are angry, it’s just children and old people who laugh.” “Did you write that?” “Yes.” “What did your teacher say?” “She said I hadn’t understood the task.” “And what did you say?” “I said she hadn’t understood my answer.”
P.s. This will make you miss your grandparents if you have lost them, especially your grandfather(s). ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Isn’t that the best of all life’s ages, an old man thinks as he looks at his grandchild. When a boy is just big enough to know how the world works but still young enough to refuse to accept it.
First Sentence: There’s a hospital room at the end of a life where someone, right in the middle of the floor, has pitched a green tent. ...more
If you were 75 years old or older, and starting to deal with pain and physical limitations that often beset 4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
If you were 75 years old or older, and starting to deal with pain and physical limitations that often beset seniors, would you accept an offer to be made young again while retaining your memory and age old wisdom, if it came along with the commitment to fight in an intergalactic war, never to return to Earth?
Bravo, Scalzi! The brilliant and unique concepts behind the novel bring up thought provoking questions - I would have loved to have covered this one with a book club. Stimulating, action packed, rife with snark, and a touching romance all mixed together made for a lovely and memorable read. I hope Netflix does the story service with their future movie adaptation.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: The problem with aging is not that it’s one damn thing after another—it’s every damn thing, all at once, all the time.
First Sentences: I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife’s grave. Then I joined the army....more
And just like that, I have my new favorite historical romance couple. Le sigh. If anyone else has any recom4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
And just like that, I have my new favorite historical romance couple. Le sigh. If anyone else has any recommendations for books or movies surrounding Henri and Diane, I’d love to hear about them.
------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: There was nothing like the prospect of death, he thought, to make one appreciate the precious, transitory spark that is life.
First Sentence: In Dawn’s semidarkness, she stood ankle deep and motionless at the river’s edge, her tall silhouette blending with the bare white elms which braided through the cloudless winter sky over Beaumont-sur-Sarthe. ...more
I am incredibly picky about which books will be shelved as a favorite, but one requirement is that I will likely reread it 5 stars - Utterly amazing.
I am incredibly picky about which books will be shelved as a favorite, but one requirement is that I will likely reread it one day (rare for me). The minute I finished this book, I was ready to go back to the first page and enjoy it all over again. It's that good.
Essentially, this is another timeless tale of the perpetual battle between good and evil, except it's fantastical and has wonderful prose sprinkled throughout (have your highlighter ready). Mitchell weaves in actual global events from the last few decades, but for fun, also includes reincarnation, teleportation, psychic phenomena, diabolical mazes, and an age of endarkenment. Most reviews give away too much and the less you know, the more gloriously bizarre it will be. If anything about my short summary appeals to you, then add it to your TBR pile!
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------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: While the wealthy are no more likely to be born stupid than the poor, a wealthy upbringing compounds stupidity while a hardscrabble childhood dilutes it, if only for Darwinian reasons.
First Sentence: I fling open my bedroom curtains, and there's the thirsty sky and the wide river full of ships and boats and stuff, but I'm already thinking of Vinny's chocolaty eyes, shampoo down Vinny's back, beads of sweat on Vinny's shoulders, and Vinny's sly laugh, and by now my heart's goign mental and, God, I wish I was waking up at Vinny's place in Peacock Street and not in my own stupid bedroom. ...more
This was the first novel I read by John Boyne, and I am thrilled that I have more to choose from as I really4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
This was the first novel I read by John Boyne, and I am thrilled that I have more to choose from as I really enjoyed his writing style. This poignant tale about the Romanovs, the Russian civil war, and 60 years of a married couple's love story was simply wonderful.
The author did take a few liberties with known historical facts which is bothersome in historical fiction (I prefer the liberties to be with the unknowns, but such is personal preference), some of which were far fetched enough to require suspension of disbelief. The pacing was moderate - not a fast paced page turner but also never dull. The writing was beautiful and memorable with an infusion of subtle wit.
The story alternates between when the main character, Georgy, was a young man in the early 1900s and his modern day in the 1980s until the two stories come together with all questions answered. I loved all facets of the character's life and enjoyed the domesticity that was included as it added depth and believability to the relationship between him and his wife.
Easily recommended to fans of historical fiction! I listened to this one on audio and the narrator, Stefan Rudnicki, was fantastic, adding a whole other element of greatness to the novel. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: It occurs to me that even though Zoya and I are both still alive, my life is already over. She will be taken from me soon and there will be no reason for me to continue without her. We are one person, you see. We are GeorgyandZoya.
First Sentence: My mother and father did not have a happy marriage. ...more
For my friends that know me well, the star rating on this book should speak for itself. The addition of it to my "favorites"5 stars - Utterly amazing.
For my friends that know me well, the star rating on this book should speak for itself. The addition of it to my "favorites" shelf essentially makes the need for a review pointless, but allow me to gush.
This unforgettable story unfolds through the eyes of three narrators, a tricky novel setup, but one that works very well here. Contrary to what I normally experience with similar books, there was no favorite narrator and each point of view was captivating and engaging. The story is centered around different Native Americans tribes at war with one another, in part over conflicts of opinion in how to deal with the influx of Europeans to North America. One point of view is from a Jesuit, and the author did a superb job of demonstrating how Catholics may have tried to explain their faith to Native Americans in relatable terms.
Too many speak too much without ever really saying anything. This is a quote of one of my favorite characters in the book, Gosling. While I agree whole-heartedly with this statement, particularly in regards to much of pop culture, the words cannot be applied at all to the words of this book.
I loved every minute of this read, which shocks me given its violent nature at times (something I normally shy away from). The Native American mysticism was enthralling, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I cannot wait to read more of Joseph Boyden's works. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: We all fight our own wars, wars for which we’ll be judged. Some of them we fight in the forests close to home, others in distant jungles or faraway burning deserts. We all fight our own wars, so maybe it’s best not to judge, considering it’s rare we even know why we fight so savagely.
First Sentence: We had magic before the crows came. ...more
5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
The spirit of the Native people, the first people, has never died. It lives in5 stars = Utterly incredible. One of the best books I've read this year.
The spirit of the Native people, the first people, has never died. It lives in the rocks and the forests, the rivers and the mountains. It murmurs in the brooks and whispers in the trees. The hearts of these people were formed of the earth that we now walk, and their voice can never be silenced.
An enlightening collection of treasured words from Native American leaders that are sorted by topic. It is best read in thoughtful small segments at a time, and is a priceless addition to my library. I am very thankful that their words have been preserved for their wisdom still rings true today, even after all these years. ------------------------------------------- First Sentence: In 1492, Columbus and his crew, lost, battered, and stricken with dysentery, were helped ashore by a people he described as “neither black nor white...fairly tall, good looking and well proportioned.”
Favorite Quotes: What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth. (Chief Seattle)
There is no death. Only a change of worlds.
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.
Our transition from our natural life to the artificial life of civilization has resulted in great spiritual and moral loss.
When you see a new trail, or a footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing. (Uncheedah The grandmother of Ohiyesa)....more
And just like that, we have an addition to the elusive favorites shelf. I loved this book. The plot is fine and entertaining enough but the charactersAnd just like that, we have an addition to the elusive favorites shelf. I loved this book. The plot is fine and entertaining enough but the characters seem too real to be fictional and are utterly unforgettable. Above all else, I enjoyed the artistic display of the constant human balancing of good and evil, a reversion to the mean of a biological sort. This book is not a difficult read and the pages go relatively quickly -- if you have been putting it off, you are missing out on a wonderful literary treat. ...more
I typically do not enjoy children's literature and even YA rarely excites me these days. But this, this book4.5 stars - Incredible. I really loved it.
I typically do not enjoy children's literature and even YA rarely excites me these days. But this, this book moved me with it's simple but powerful words and stark illustrations. A heartbreaking coming of age story that even pulled a tear from my cold black heart. ;) I loved everything about this one from the opening paragraph to the message about facing your most terrifying fears. It is a story I'd recommend to everyone, regardless of their age. ------------------------------------------- Favorite Quote: Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.
First Sentences: The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. ...more
I thought it a wise choice for Gregory to narrate this through Mary rather than through the Queen as she did with Katherine in The Constant Princess. I thought it a wise choice for Gregory to narrate this through Mary rather than through the Queen as she did with Katherine in The Constant Princess. While I found Ann to be fascinating, I don't think I would have enjoyed spending so many pages inside her mind. I loved this book and thought Gregory did such a fantastic job of making you feel as though you truly knew all the characters - I cheered for Mary as she finally decided to stand up for herself and go after what her heart desired, my heart broke for Katherine who was treated so poorly regardless of whether she was wedded as a virgin or not, I loved George and hated to see how his story ended, absolutely loved and adored William Stafford and wanted to shake the hell out of King Henry. More than anything and above all else, Gregory reminded me how blessed I am as a woman to have been born in my country and century....more
I typically only rate 3 or so books a year 5 stars so I am pleasantly surprised to have stumbled upon one so early in the year. I absolutely adored thI typically only rate 3 or so books a year 5 stars so I am pleasantly surprised to have stumbled upon one so early in the year. I absolutely adored this novel from the very beginning and highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrator really brings Hildy's character to life.
Hildy is a 60ish year old successful realtor in a very small New England town where she has lived her whole life and knows everything about everyone. She's also extremely sarcastic, delightfully witty, and a recovering alcoholic very much in denial about her problem. She is such a flawed character but I adored her from the very beginning. The author fleshes out many of the side characters quite well and you will find yourself recognizing neighbors you have known in the past.
This book is quirky and reminded me of Where'd You Go Bernadette. They are absolutely nothing alike plot wise, but they both have that distinctly unique flavor and hilarious, dry witty, dark comedy feel about them. It is funny yet serious, thought provoking and memorable.
First sentence: I can walk through a house once and know more about its occupants than a psychiatrist could after a year of sessions....more
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