Review 660: Prodigal Summer

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s fiction. Her writing is of quality. This book takes place during one momentous summer in (fictional) Zebulon County, which is located in the Appalachian region. There are three separate stories in this book. One can almost think of them as three independent stories, although they do have a connection, as Zebulon is a small county and everyone knows everyone.

There is a strong focus on the land, with predators and small bugs. One story-line has a middle-aged woman living in a cabin working for the forest service and trying to protect the predators, if possible. Another story is about two older people with differing views on using pesticides. The last is a young widow, newly married too, less than a year. Lusa has studied bugs extensively, but now on the in-law’s family farm she’s trying to figure out how to fit in this family and how to make the farm work.

I’ve had this book for a couple of decades, and not sure why I always passed up reading it until now. Perhaps I thought is was just of short stories, which the book really isn’t. In any case, glad I finally got to reading it.

Review 342 : Devil Sent the Rain

Devil Sent the Rain by Lisa Turner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not my usual book, a detective story taking place in the south, although it's not uncommon either. It just isn't my typical go-to type book. Generally, I don't like these kings of books, nor series.  

This was okay, not great. I didn't love the writing or anything. 

Turns out this is book 3 in a series called Detective Billy Able. It didn't hurt not to have read any previous books in the series.  Don't think I'll read any more in the series either. 

Why did I read this?  I picked this book as it fit in trying to read from each of my bookshelves in my home, and I've had it awhile. One of my goals this year has been pulling books out of a variety of the shelves I have. Generally I stick to one or two main bookshelves.  I got the book in June 2016 at a library conference.

Review 309: Take My Hand

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This historical novel is based, inspired by real life events. It’s shocking to find there were some programs set up to sterilize women deemed unfit. Who are defined as unfit for motherhood? Most often it is the poor, people of color, disabled that are targeted. Stories like this help to highlight travesties of the past, to humanize what happened, and help to ensure these flawed decisions and actions are not repeated.

The setting is Birmingham, Alabama, with the frame of the story told by Civil Townsend, to her twenty-something adopted daughter, about her life when she was around the same age. Looking back to the early 1970s, when Townsend started her first job as a nurse at a family planning clinic. Civil’s first assigned home visit takes place in the country to give birth control shots to two sisters. What she finds transforms Civil’s life trajectory.

The two sisters are young, not of age, and one is mute. They live in abject poverty and don’t go to school. Civil feels her duty to help this family and get them into government housing, so the father, grandmother and girls no long have to live in a one-room shack with an outdoor toilet. Civil becomes embedded with this family, quickly questioning why they need birth control at such a young age, before the younger has even started her periods. Then one day the girls are sterilized, the father and grandmother being illiterate, hardly knew what they signed for. Civil, along with the family, file suit against the clinic where she works. It turns bigger than this case and their lawyer sues on behalf of the hundreds of other women found in a similar situation.

The story is heartbreaking, yet wonderfully told. There are moments when the past is broken with the present, speaking to Civil’s daughter, and a few times it felt awkward, but it comes together at the end.

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

Review 308: Lost Memory of Skin

Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book two weeks ago, but wanted to leave some thoughts on the book, as it still hasn’t left me and likely won’t for a long while.

Parts of this book may not be an easy to read, fair warning. We have, an unnamed character who goes by the Kid, a fitting nomenclature. He’s young, early 20’s but looks even younger and despite his age also seems to know very little about the world. He was stunted, some said he was slow to learn, didn’t have the right circumstances growing up. A single parent, left alone too much, and he found porn early and way too often. Once out of school he signs up for the military but was discharged, due to a misunderstanding. Then he quickly found himself in a situation he should have known better, a mistake is what he calls it, and now he is a convicted sex offender.

The Kid is homeless, living under a bridge, a causeway along with other sex offenders, as there aren’t many places to live that is far enough away from where children may congregate. The police and politicians want to look like they are doing something, randomly clear out the place, arrest those who don’t leave. The kid considers jail as an option, where else can he go?

The story of Kid’s conviction takes a long while to be explained. This eventually is drawn out by a man who is known as The Professor, is an extremely large man, a genius that wants to interview the Kid for research on homelessness and sex offenders. The Kid doesn’t understand but goes along with it. They become friends of a sort, perhaps because the Kid has never had a friend before. He was a loner growing up. The Professor’s story becomes a large part of this novel as well.

These two are juxtaposed, one that seemingly had a perfect life growing up, except for his large size, and the other with a single mom who practically ignored him. These two are nearly opposites, one with everything and the other with nothing.

The ending of the book is amazing. There is so much more to say about this book, such as how it reflects on society as there are people in situations where we consider them as throwaway people, without delving into more of their story, we look at them as monsters. How did these people get to that point? There are rough spots in the book, taken overall this book is one of the better ones, making the journey very worthwhile.

Review 254: Buses Are a Comin'

Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider by Charles Person
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book!

An amazing story! Charles Person was only 18 when he joined the first group of people in the Freedom rides challenging the segregation of buses, bus depots and restaurants in many states, from the South to Washington D.C. He was with a small group of people, black and white that would sit where there were generally not allowed. Of course, they encountered bigotry and hatred, but occasionally kindness as well. Person was awestruck that one of the men (Jim Peck) who joined them was not only white, but a rich man as well. He did not need to do this, where Person felt he must.

This was an engaging story, well, told. We hear how Person joined, you had to apply and he didn’t have much experience fighting for justice, but he had joined a protest that landed him in jail and solitary confinement for singing for freedom a bit too enthusiastically for the jailors. Once picked, he had to convince his parents he could go, as he needed a signature from one of them. This was his first year in college, and his family had their sights on him being one of the first to graduate, so it wasn’t an easy thing asking for a few weeks from college during finals.

Anyway, this review is turning into my telling of the story and it’s better left from the man himself. An excellent book!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Although I got an advance eBook copy, I ended up reading via audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job and would recommend this version as well.

Review 166: Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther

Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther by Craig Pittman
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

From near extinction the Florida panther was pulled back from the brink to a healthy population. This book is organized well and tells the story of when people weren’t sure the panthers were in Florida or not, to a celebrated animal for the state. There are some wild stories, perhaps something that could only be found in Florida. Although one would expect biologists to support the animal they study, not all went that way. Then there’s the poor scientific published study, with nearly 40% of gathered data thrown out since it didn’t support what the author wanted. As expected, there are the politics and battles for habit versus development nearly wanting to pave everything. There’s even a little bit about Domino’s Pizza in the book!

An interesting read!

Book rating: 4.5 stars

Thanks to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.


While I got the book from NetGalley I ended up listening to an audio copy from the library. The narrator was handled the material with expertise. Sometimes non-fiction narrators sound bored, but not there, the narrator was engaged with the writing and made the book that much better.

Review 146: The End of the River

The End of the River by Simon Winchester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a long essay, or a mini-book. A novella length if this was fiction. The writing style of Winchester’s in this piece is splendid, particularly in the beginning pages. The essays tell us the history of man engineering the Mississippi River and what the future may hold for it. The engineering and taming of this massive river is ultimately going to end in failure, according to Winchester. Perhaps the plans for the nearby Red River and Atchafalaya can be engineered enough, built quickly enough, to take enough of the pressure off the Mississippi to avoid complete disaster.

There are a few images that show the various versions of the Mississippi alongside the Red River with the various stages. The old 16th century natural flows, then how it naturally changed by the 19th century. This is when mankind started to muck about and change the flow.

It is an enjoyable read of history of engineering of the river. I would have liked a longer work as well, adding in more history of the region; although as it stands now it is enough. It is short enough that it could be read in one sitting (but I didn’t). This wasn’t my first read of Winchester, but it reminded me of his writing and the other books I have awaiting my attention.

Thanks to Scribd Originals and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. 

Review 92: The Giver of Stars

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable book about the pack-horse librarians in Kentucky during the depression era. Having read earlier this year another book on a similar topic I had a little concern that the two would be similar. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson focus was upon one of the librarians and dealing with poverty and racism towards the librarian as a blue person.

This book, in contrast, was more about the beginning of the library and all of the women librarians working in it, particularly a British woman, Alice, and the main organizer, Margery. Alice is recently married to the son of the town’s mine owner and finds herself in complete contrast with her father in law. The book is about the library, and more so about the women running it and how much they change and learn about themselves as being the bringer of books to the rural community.

This book didn’t have the rural, and poverty feel to it as one may expect. It felt more like town and middle class women. Even though Margery was living a distance away, it was still easy walking distance.

This is the first book I've read by Moyes, so I didn't know what to expect from her writing. It seems her books are generally more romance related, which isn’t the type of books I tend towards. Since that is her writing tendency it makes sense that this book is more concerned with relationships than the social structures.


I listened to the audiobook and found the narration was superb and a great way to read this book.

Review 59: We Are All Good People Here

We Are All Good People Here by Susan Rebecca White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable book that spans two generations.

First we are firmly placed in the South in the early 60’s then slowly go through the years. At some points many years are jumped. The book is about two friends, Daniella and Eve, who meet in college as roommates, and quickly become best friends. We end up in the early 1990's.

Their friendship and lives are shown through the changing of racial prejudice and attitudes. The Vietnam war is important for a while as well. The girls want society to change and as Eve was the most naive about the prevailing situations she also became the most dedicated.

Overall the book was decent, but sometimes I felt it was too ambitious for the scope. There are moments of detail, of specific situations, but they are fleeting and brief, and may not have been the best scenes to highlight. Perhaps I’m someone who enjoys generational novels to be longer and more in depth. This is not the first book that bothered me in this way, seemingly too cursory.

Also, the book has several characters (not just Eve) changing their fundamental beliefs rather easily. It didn’t help me with the believable factor.

The book for me was a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up.


Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review 57: Stay and Fight: A Novel

Stay and Fight: A Novel by Madeline Ffitch
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

What attracted me to this book was the aspect of self-reliance and living off the land. There was a little of that, but the three main women seemed to have no real clue how to do that successfully. The first person we meet, Helen, came from Seattle, checked books out of the library to read and reference. The other two women were from the area in Appalachia, had history of the place, but didn't seem to do much better. And do they ever argue.

At several points I considered not continuing because the three main women characters do fight. I didn't like them, nor the arguing. The book is written from different POV's one for each of the women and Perley, the child.  The young boy is raised by the three women, and I loved his character and I stuck with the book.

The title of this book fits so well, the fighting then staying with each other, and my own experience with the book, staying and fighting through the discomfort. This is not the easiest book to read. Yet I found at the end of the book it paid off. I'm happy to have stayed with the book.

Book rating: 3.5 stars


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

Review 48: Rules of '48

Rules of '48 by Jack Cady
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's a brief seven weeks of summer when there seems to be an abundance of dead bodies showing up, during 1948 in Louisville. World War 2 is over and fresh in everyone's mind as so many are still dealing with the consequences. And attitudes are changing. This book shows a bit of how society starts to pivot. We see things like business and everyday activities happening on Sundays and how people of different backgrounds start to become accepted instead of separated. Although there certainly is plenty of racism of all kinds and anger towards the other in this book. How slowly things change, and they do.

The writing is very beautiful at times, wonderful sentences. Yet the whole book kept me somewhat at a distance. I'm not sure if it's just the time or feeling of the characters, or what exactly, but I wasn't fully involved.


Fun Note: Didn't plan that my blog post of review #48 would be a book with the title Rules of '48. Yet this coincidence makes me happy.
😃

Review 45: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This book grabbed my heart. It also broke it many times, but in the end was healed. I had no idea there were Blue People of Kentucky, nor about the Pack Horse Library Project as part of the WPA in during the depression. This is one of the great things about historical fiction, providing information while giving you a great story as well. The author's note in the end was very much appreciated.

The main character, Cussy Mary also nicknamed Bluet was such a strong woman, particularly for the age during the Great Depression. She was one of those librarians, although on a mule, delivering books to people in areas where it's nearly impossible to regularly get to a library themselves. There seemed to be no wrong in her and she put up with so much from the men and town around her, most of it just because of her skin color showing blue.

A woman dedicated to bringing books to the people who can't get to a library, what is not to love? There is so much in this story, mining, women without agency, people of color, poverty, and in the end some romance too. This is a poignant tale, and recommended.

I listened to the audiobook from my local library and the narration added to the story. The narrator had just the right inflection and expression that increased my enjoyment and placement in the story.

Book rating: 4.5 stars


P.S. I recently found out about another book that covers the same topic: the Pack Horse Project in Kentucky. This book, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, will likely get much more attention as being written by a better known author. I also saw that there already is a movie option being talked about from her book. I hope to read Moyes book as well, but hope people will also give this one a read.

Review 43: The Black God's Drums

The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this novella in one sitting. It was the perfect place, on an airplane. Or maybe it wasn't. As the turbulence in the plane seemed to increase when the winds were threatening in the story.

I haven't read any steampunk before, so I have nothing to compare. I don't read very much fantasy either, and this is definitely alternate history, all outside of my norm. Yet I enjoyed the book.

It didn't take long to get adapted into this world, clearly some strong divisions going on. The backdrop is the civil war is still lingering, it's still going on. There are airships and even more interesting personal gods that reside within some people.

When the tale ended I hoped there would be more. The novella can easily be an introduction into a bigger book, or series. I hope Clark continues it.

Review 39: One Night in Georgia

One Night in Georgia by Celeste O. Norfleet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is one that may have more resonance with African Americans, particularly women, yet it is still a book for everyone to read. It's a nail biting novel of three college girls taking a week to drive back to school in a flashy convertible from New York to Atlanta in 1968. The main character, Zelda knows this is a mistake but joins her friends. Of course danger is ahead and they have surprisingly good interactions with some whites, and predictable racist police.

I found it hard to get placed into the novel. Zelda stood out, and though her other two friends had different characters they were difficult to identify at times. Actually several times I would get lost on understanding who was talking with the large group of people in the room.

Somewhat early in the book we find out some disturbing information about one of the friends. One would expect there to be more in the book, but no it seems to be forgotten. I'm not sure why this would be brought up if only to be ignored.

Despite the topic manner it is a quick easy read. There's a bit of romance thrown in that seems to help ease up on some of the tension.

Book rating: 3.5 stars


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

Review 30: The Ash Family

The Ash Family by Molly Dektar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How much would you sacrifice for what you believed in?

Berie knew college wasn't for her, but her mother and ex-boyfriend thought she needed to go. At the airport, after Berie's mother drops her off, she walks away, spends her last dollar taking a bus leaving. Berie doesn't know what she wants or where to go, only that she wants to help heal the dying environment. It is fate that Bay chose her to go with him, to live with the Ash Family. To live for the new earth that will come. When Berie gets into Bay's car she goes with nothing, her clothes and suitcases left on the bus, and no one knows where in the Appalachian woods they end up.

I wanted to like this book, well, I did, somewhat, but I didn't love it. Berie is told, like all newcomers, you can stay for three days or the rest of your life. Berie is renamed Harmony. Everyone in the Ash Family leaves their fake-world names behind.

The Ash Family is like a cult, but instead of religion you have fervent belief in the dying earth and desire to save it for humans; to become something else, a hive, interconnected. The leader Dice says he doesn't make the rules, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to, but people do what he says. They even believe Dice, the father, leader, can make miracles such as changing the weather. Like all cults there are strict rules, and usually they don't apply to Dice, such as not using fake-world soap and infrequent washings.

Dice picks little bits about the world that doesn't work, that is so out of whack with nature, that it is easy to believe him. The family is learning a new way to live with the earth, and it looks very similar to how we lived in the past, with farming and planting on small scales, to sustain the 20-odd people.

Harmony easily lets the three days go by, so she assumes that she will stay the rest of her life. But throughout the book she questions staying, or leaving, and alternates towards being certain this is the place for her. It is confusing. Berie/Harmony is a confusing character. We know she cares about the environment, was a vegetarian upon arrival, yet eats a slice of meat the first time it is offered to her without even saying anything. She is not in harmony, she is uncertain about everything. And there is part of the problem with the book. We want to like the narrator but I didn't. I couldn't understand her motives, why she would stay or want to go. And the ending was unresolved, not a strong ending at all.

Overall the book is okay, but ultimately disappointing to me. Did Berie learn, grow, become her own person? I'm not sure.


Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 9: Sugar Run

Sugar Run by Mesha Maren
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was a disappointment. It was also a tad boring, surprising since the premise doesn't sound like that at all. The book starts with Jodi just being released out of jail after 18 years, early even, after killing her girlfriend Paula. The book slowly tells you the story of what led up to the shooting, was it an accident, or purposeful? The main part of the book is after she leaves jail. First she wants to Paula's brother, to save him, as they had always planned. Along the way she picks up a new girlfriend, Miranda, plus her three kids. With all five stuffed in Miranda's car they go back to her grandmother's land in West Virginia Appalachian mountains, to start a new life.

It sounds interesting, but it wasn't. It fell flat. Whenever there was a little action, it kept being interrupted by another chapter break. We'd switch to the current or past, when it went back to the action well now that was moved past it. There was so much focus on driving, pills and drinking, oh and smoking cigarettes, maybe this is what the book is about. I wanted more about the land, the connection to it, and the fracking or other mining taking it away. Some of that was here, but again, it was subdued.

I almost stopped reading several times, and perhaps should have, but I'm curious and would wonder if it got any better. Not really. Not all books are wonderful and the duds make better books stand out even more. Go ahead and skip this one.

Book rating: 2 stars


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 5: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have no idea how or why this book came across my radar, but that's how books are sometimes. A glance or browsing, something peaks your interest. It gets on my to read list someday. Well this past week was the someday for this book.

It felt like a long, short book. Well it isn't very short, 358 pages in my copy, but it isn't a 600 page beast either. The book is written in a slow languid way. It takes place in the South so the slow pace is appropriate. The book came out just before WWII and there are pieces of that stewing, the stirrings of war. There are several things that surprise me about this book and one is the timeliness for when it was written and how much awareness of what was going outside this town that's the setting of the book.

All of the main characters are longing, lonely and have some restlessness about them. The first we meet is John Singer a deaf mute who desperately misses his fellow friend Antonapoulos. They used to live together, do everything together except work, until Antonapoulos went a little crazy and his relative had him committed, taken away. Since then Singer has been bereft and pines until he can go visit him on a short vacation.

There are four other main characters and they all go to Singer to talk and find something in him they cannot find in anyone else. They find Singer peaceful and so understanding, and all without knowing what Singer himself feels. There is a young teenage tom-boy girl Mick Kelley who is one of a large family that runs the boarding house where Singer now lives. Mick has music inside her so much it hurts. There is Jack Blount who is a drunk and communist, or close enough, who wants everyone to know about how the system is, how there shouldn't be the rich businesses taking all while the people go poor and hungry.

Another man who visits Singer is Biff Brannon, the owner of the New York Café. He reads and organizes the newspapers very carefully, and never throws one away. He is a hoarder on this aspect. He doesn't talk as much as the other three with Singer as he's more of an observer and tries to figure things out. When talking to Blount he will ask questions of him, such as why and what would you do. The other man who regularly visits Singer is a black doctor, Benedict Mady Copeland. He is the father of Portia who is the cook at the Kelley boarder house. He has four children and he had such ambitions for them once they were born but they went along with their mother and religion. Doctor Copeland has always had a "strong true purpose" and he tried to impart that on his children, and his race, but could never seem to succeed.

The struggles these characters go through are what sets them apart from everyone else. Even Blount and Doctor Copeland end up talking and realizing they want the same thing, but then how to succeed at getting people to the same place they differ and end up arguing. Interestingly Doctor Copeland has this idea that years years later Dr. Martin Luther King organizes and does, the March on Washington. How did this writer come up with this? Another place that amazed and surprised me.

The book is thick with characters and ideals, longings, but not much on plot. Perhaps there's a little one, but the book doesn't linger there. There were a few moments when I thought it was going on too long and I had to push on. It's worth reading, but it isn't a joyful experience, and parts are so painful. It's an incredible book. It's a good one to read and discuss with others, even now going on 80 years later.