Review 178: The Battle For Scotland

The Battle For Scotland by Andrew Marr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The book was more political than I'd hoped. Being that it's not my country a lot of it was too in the weeds for me, but got a little more history on the subject.

some notes: Did it end before the referendum? No…it mentioned the “Better Together” campaign. But that was an intro, or added on in the beginning, I think. A reviewer said this was a rehashed, well, it seems like it was an old book with update chapter and new introduction. Most of the book covered Scotland and the attempt at independence and why it never happened. I did wish for something more concise, not as many details of the politics. 

Review 177: Desert Oracle: Volume 1

Desert Oracle: Volume 1: Strange True Tales from the American Southwest by Ken Layne
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The book starts out very wisely in letting you know how to survive the desert – bring lots of water, more than you think you need. If you get lost, or your car breaks down, stay by your car! There are brief mentions of those who didn’t make it out…

The next section is about the Yucca Man, and other very short tales of a creature seen in the desert called by many names, such as Bigfoot.

A little boy is lost. A scout leader failed in his job.

It goes from there….

These are little vignettes…tales of quirky people and tales of mysterious things that may be true, or not (ghost bighorn sheep).

Most of the entries read like snippets, not complete stories, and the writing tends to jump from one thought to another, then end abruptly. But don’t let that dissuade you from reading this. It adds to the sense, a layer to the oddness that are desert dwellers.

As a compilation, there tends to be a few places where something is repeated. For myself, too much on UFO’s and aliens when considering the whole work, would have liked more on history of place, or characters, those were the better entries. The snippets are of varying length with one section about cowboy music being very long. The writing isn’t polished either, you take what you can get when you’re out on the desert.

The book also contains photos and line drawings, which adds to the character of the book.

You don’t have to love the desert, but if you do this book will thrill you!

I'll read a volume 2, if/when that comes out.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 176: The May Bride

The May Bride by Suzannah Dunn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book was slow plodding along, with so much based on looks and few words actually spoken, yet tremendous weight placed on what was said. Perhaps that's how it was during that time and station, withholding, not revealing all that you thought or may want to say. But it made for a slow book. Then suddenly something happens, revelations are made, decisions. The last 30 pages or so, the book is quick and briefly goes through the rest our narrator's life, being sent to be a lady in the queen's court at the behest of her eldest brother.

Turns out this queen is the first of Henry VIII's wives, and Jane, the narrator will be the third. This is historical fact. I do not have much knowledge of England's Royalty over the years other than some generalities, and this book has a focus of Katherine Fillol who married Jane's eldest brother Edward Seymour. To be honest, the facts for me save the book, even though I didn't know this until the end with a summary of history as it pertains to this book.

I received a free copy of this book at a library conference. I was not required to write a review, but felt like it and, of course, the above opinions are my own.

Review 175: The Exiles

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Taking place in the mid-1800s, this book is focused on the transport of prisoners from Great Britain to Australia. We are immersed with characters that find themselves in situations they couldn’t imagine, while thrown in with people never suspected they would end up being around.

The book is full of tragedy, and feelings of punishment that is unjust. It is a scathingly look at colonialism and British superiority, along with class and disregard for human life if anyone steps beyond the bounds of their station or duties.

It is well written, engaging, captivating, and a quick read.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Although I did get an advance review eBook, I ended up listening to the book borrowed from a public library. The narration was excellent and if anything added to the experience of the book.

Review 174: Fat

Fat by Hanne Blank
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fat. It is a necessary part of being human, as without it you will die. As the author states, that is starvation. Fat encases our brains, and other organs, it does things in our body to maintain it, such as regulate our body temperature. There are different types of fat, most of the “extra” society denigrates is generally the white fat, which actually looks yellow. There is also brown fat, which is the type that typically encases our organs. And a mixture of the two that is, of course, beige fat, a small part but useful to survival. This science part was found only in the beginning.

The book dove into several aspects of fat, societal expectations, discrimination, and sexuality as related to being a fat person. Being a large person is not easy, and society rails against it in every way, and surprisingly to me even with salary. A fat person generally makes less than anyone. Discrimination is rampant.

The author’s first book was about being large and sexuality, one of the first of its kind. So then, the focus for the last portion of the book isn’t surprising.

The book is not about weight loss. Gosh no! It’s more about acceptance of the body you have and how it operates. All bodies are different, how the food we eat is used and distributed around the body. This part was enlightening to read.

This book is part of the Object Lessons series, and they are all fairly short, and focused topic reads.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 173: Down Along with That Devil's Bones

Down Along with That Devil's Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy by Connor Towne O'Neill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book is focused on Nathan Bedford Forrest – the monuments displaying his image, and his biography: founding grand wizard of the Klan, a confederate soldier, who quickly ran through the ranks from private to lieutenant general, a profiteer from slave trading. Modern times explains the history of the monuments after him, how they came to be, and torn down, some raised again. To many in the area Forrest is a hero, a white supremacist. The park named after him, streets, so many places are named after him. Also, why his name should not be remembered so well, and what it means to the people who are of color.

The book shows by this how racism is steeped into everyday life, particularly in the south, by this example of someone still strongly revered, yet justly being removed from memorials. A well written investigative book.

Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 172: The Mirror Man

The Mirror Man by Jane Gilmartin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sometime in the possible future a PR guy gets cloned by his company that released a unique drug called Meld. Those two aspects are intertwined, although different aspects, and it's a bit of a crazy book. The writing was okay but not exceptional.

What was up with all the references to beer drinking? The interesting aspect to the book is looking at who you are, and realizing where you can do, or be, a better person.

Thanks to MIRA/Harlequin and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 171: We Keep the Dead Close

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A long book, nearly too long, but in the end it was worth it. Becky Cooper weaves in a tale of a murder that took place the night before Jane Britton’s exams at Harvard. Cooper delves deep into every aspect of Jane’s last days, who occupied them, investigating anyone who may have been the killer, even remotely.

The deep dive takes over ten years of Cooper’s life, with her own becoming intertwined with Jane’s life. While keeping the focus on Jane it is inevitable that the present day and what Becky Cooper is up to gets into the narrative, and she does that in a way that we don’t have an intrusive narrator. We also find tangentially other unexpected deaths or murders with some investigations into those that relate to the same suspect as the possible perpetrator of Jane’s death.

While at moments I wished for a shorter book, I’m not sure what could be cut that would make for a better book. It does feel like misleads when going down the path of each suspect, however remote, but it adds to the fullness of the story, and to who was in Jane’s life. Even the side stories bring fullness and entirety to the work, plus everything was very well written.

Cooper also provides an overarching meaning, not just to the death, but do what Jane was doing, in academia in anthropology. I get a better sense of what it means to be a professor in an academic setting from this book than any other I’ve read. (not that I’ve sought that out, but it was informative!) There are also ties to larger movements, particularly with women.

I’m not one to often read true crime but this one was very well done. If you do pick this up, be prepared to spend some time with the book.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.