Review 681: Dreams and Hypotheticals

Dreams and Hypotheticals by K.E. Wilkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was interested in this book due to something in the description that mentioned “precognitive dreams” (due to some interest in dreams). And yes, this book is about that, and a bit more.

It’s 1990 and the first year in college for Emma in Tallahassee as a music major, playing trumpet. She is a brazen young woman and the book starts with her asking a hypothetical question that people think is surprising and makes her ask others and so it expands way beyond what she would have done on her own. The question is: “This is a hypothetical question not an offer, would you sleep with me?” Turns out Emma is still a virgin, but she used this question to learn something about the people she asks.

Each chapter begins with a quote then a short snippet from her journal. Early on we find out that she’s had a few dreams that end up becoming true, and one that has repeated she expects will also come true frightens her a little. When she meets Robert she feels this is the one from that dream. She feels something with him that confuses her.

As the book goes on it discusses her college life, but goes deeper and deeper into this strange relationship with Robert. It becomes a push and pull with those two. Odd things seem to happen and involve another friend, Owen.

The book is overly long, it could be cut in half and been the same book. It goes over the same type of scenario time and again and it becomes a bit tedious. The ending of the book does nothing to save it either.

Perhaps my rating is a bit generous, but it’s really not bad for a self-published book.

Review 639: The Definitions

The Definitions by Matt Greene
My rating: 2.75 of 5 stars

I finished this book a week ago and took some time thinking about it, because it’s not your typical short novel. It is reminiscent of I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. I started my review of Harpman’s book with “A dystopian book, without a lot of answers.” And that line fits well with this book as well: short and left with ambiguity and more questions in the end. Seems also to be not really my kind of book.

A virus has rendered people amnesiacs. They don’t remember anything, so are at this facility to learn how to behave in society, maybe regain their memories of who they were before. They take new names. The narrator, however is unnamed. They are unsure about the virus, there appears to be a new version that may reinfect or not.

There is a lot of focus on words. The narrator and a friend are focused on the meaning of a few, such as chair and bench. How to define exactly these words and what they represent.

It felt like the students at the center aren’t being told the full truth. Things are going on in the outside world they don’t know about, at least anymore, and are sheltered or given a new story. It’s hard to tell since we as readers never get the full story either.

This will likely work better for some people, while others who don’t like vagueness and obscurity, this may be a pass.



Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 567: Uncertain Path

Uncertain Path: A Search for the Future of National Parks by William C. Tweed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A slightly academic book by someone who worked for the US National Park System for decades. After Tweed’s retirement he takes a month long hike through the Sierra Nevada mountains. This hike is used as the frame for the book in discussing how the national park’s underlying principles needs to change.

The key phrase used as the guiding principle since the agency was established in 1916 is that the parks will be preserved "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Tweed writes extensively about how there are several problems with this phrasing. The inability to change, the word even, unimpaired, is going to be nearly impossible with the effects of climate change. Already there are visible stressors to the forests from the warming climate and other pollution levels. The last chapter offers some solutions, even possible new wordings.

However, the bulk of the book is about Tweed’s hiking trip through the sierras. A friend joins him for several weeks. They encounter other park rangers and have discussions about how they are looking for a missing hiker or someone who was abusing the rules. It makes these vast parks seems smaller than they actually are. The hike also has a way of introducing some of the history of the park service. When he hikes up a peak the name naturally introduces the reason why that name adorns that mountain.

There are extensive sections about who uses the park. Stock users, those who use pack animals to get into the high country, have a long tradition but it can be damaging to the trails and the meadows. Contrast with the backpackers whose motto is leave no trace behind. Tweed also comments on the change in backpackers, fewer of the younger generations find their entertainment in the Sierras. Some who do look at it as solely a challenge, who can hike the trail the fastest, or bag the most peaks. Then there’s those people that have traditionally not looked at the forest as a recreational avenue for them.

Perhaps the book’s purpose could be summed up by these words: “The parks will have to undergo a metamorphosis that provides them with both new management goals in tune with our contemporary scientific knowledge and a redefined societal role that attracts new generations of users. Nothing less will succeed.”

Review 386: My Last Innocent Year

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a story looking back to the late 1990s when the main character, Isabel Rosen, finished up her senior year at a small college. She is studying writing, while finding her way in life. The book starts with a sexual encounter with a male friend, that Isabel was very lukewarm about engaging in, but didn’t make her feelings known either. It wasn’t good, and when she returns to her dorm her feminist roommate makes it out like it was rape.

With this sets up for the book one may expect more, yet this subject is glossed over more than examined. Then we have Isabel getting into a sexual relationship with a visiting professor. There are other heavy topics in the book, such as stealing, and class differences, and being Jewish, but are all dealt with very lightly. I would have expected much more.

There are some good turns of phrases in the book, the writer seems to know what she is doing, yet the content fell short. It felt like the writer had something to say about all these topics but didn’t know how to do it exactly, and instead of focusing on one thing, threw in more, such as the stealing. That came up so late in the book, I probably shouldn’t even have mentioned it.

There are even more topics than I mentioned. Anyway, I appreciated some of the quality of writing and maybe the next book will be a stellar one. This one wasn’t too bad, just fell short for me.

Original short post:

There is some good writing here, but the story fell a little short. The set-up was there, but it wasn't followed through.

Review 321: Avidly Reads Poetry

Avidly Reads Poetry by Jacquelyn Ardam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I hadn’t come across this series Avidly Reads, before this book. The series is described as brief books about how culture makes us feel. There are only a handful of these books published, so far. This one takes on the topic of poetry.

The book itself is a bit of a poetry literature criticism class, with a touch of memoir all wrapped up into several long essays. There are four chapters with one short coda, all discussing poetry. The focus is on several types of poems, but the feelings aspect related to: wanting, learning, resisting, soothing and losing.

The first chapter is about the sonnet and wanting and perhaps provides the most autobiographical material as well, with the author talking about her entry into poems as a teenager. The later chapters had more of the literature criticism class aspect to them, with one in particular (documentary poems) discussing a class she held recently and what her students focused on and were taught.

Ms Ardam does not shy away from letting you know there are some poets she does not like, one of whom is a favorite of mine, Billy Collins. I like his poetry as it is accessible and filled with humor where too often poetry seems to be a Very Serious Business.

I don’t think I would have wanted a longer book on this topic, it was enough here to remind myself about reading poetry, while also providing insight into the more recently developments in that world. This one is heavily into diversity and inclusion within poetry, and shows how the entry point to poetry can be something other than the standard sonnet of historical literature classes. These types of poems may be off putting to people who could otherwise gain from experiencing poetry. I did appreciate the write up of how Ardam helped her students get into difficult poems, like avant-garde poetry.

Review 300: The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk
My rating: 2.75 of 5 stars

A mystery: who took the old, very expensive, book the library just purchased? It was supposed to be in the safe! The library director had a stroke, remained in the hospital in a coma and Liesl Weiss is now acting director. She’s having a hard time with colleagues undermining her authority and the university president strongly claiming police must not be called. Liesl has her hands full already, but now Miriam has turned up missing. Could the missing book be related?

The story has all the elements to be a great read, but it missed the mark for me. There are brief moments of “fifteen years ago” (or something similar) as an awkward way to bring in backstory. I was frustrated with Liesl’s way of dealing with the situation and it hardly got better for me with the main character. Turned out to be a mediocre read for me, despite loving the setting.

Although I listened to the audiobook from the library, I want to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 243: Yale Needs Women

Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It's surprising to learn that just 50 or so years ago many ivy league universities did not admit women. 1969 was the first year Yale admitted women, but only a few compared to men. The book covers how this first group of women challenged the president of Yale, Kingman Brewster, and the governing body Yale Corporation, to get rid of sex discrimination, and admit students on the basis of merit not sex.

The focus is on just a few of the first women: Shirley Daniels, Kit McClure, Lawrie Mifflin, Connie Royster and Elizabeth Spahn. They aren't the only women detailed, but we keep going back to what these women in the first group admitted to Yale did and how they experienced the university. Such as Kit McClure was the first Yale band member. Laurie Mifflin started a women's field hockey team. We also get the view of Elsa Wasserman, the first administrator to oversee women's education in Yale.

An interesting and informative read!

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 187: Ninth House

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here’s a book I wouldn’t normally pick up and read, and when I first started reading it took a while to get into the story. I was very tempted to put the book down, but somewhere along the way I was fully into the story and wanted to know what happened.

The main character, Galaxy Stern, known as Alex, can see dead people. They are called greys here. Magic is real and many other oddities can happen in this world, and some very gory and gruesome acts as well.

Alex has been given a second chance, her life has completely changed when she takes the offer, a unique opportunity to enter Yale as a freshman and a Dante in the Lethe the Ninth house. Lethe is the guardians of the other eight houses to make sure the magic they perform and yield is kept in line.

Alex’s freshman year doesn’t go anything like a normal year for a first year student, or even a Dante. A murder takes place and Alex ends up deeply involved in trying to solve the case.

The book became the feel of a mystery, who did it, and what was the motive. This is where I felt the story really took off for my enjoyment. The rest of the world building was explained enough already and the characters more solidified.

There are some themes that were teased at in the book, most were not addressed instead brushed aside, yet one or two were more front and center. Perhaps some of those themes would be addressed in a more satisfying way in the next book.

Note: 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 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.

Review 163: Members Only

Members Only by Sameer Pandya
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book steps into some issues that are going on in the country, with race relations, cancel culture, freedom of speech, and yet it doesn’t dive very deeply. The book takes, mostly, one horrible week, for the main character Raj Bhatt, Sunday through Friday, with an extra chapter for the aftermath. First problem arose due to a horrible joke at his tennis club.

This alone would be enough for a bad week, but an even bigger issue comes up where Raj teaches. The students become overly critical about his lectures that criticizes some aspects of the Christian society. Things get out of control when videos are posted online, and a student protest ensues.

Raj doesn’t do the right things, it’s a bit messy. But that is life too, when faced with incredible situations we don't always say or behave in the best way. The novel gives many details in Raj's life: phone calls by his mother, what goes on with his kids, of course there being some minor issues popping up there as well, and a skin issue on his foot. It is one of the worst weeks anyone can imagine.

We get many details of Raj’s life, mostly in the present, also some from his past. They do fill in fully about Raj, and what I mostly found was that Raj isn’t honest, with anyone. He constantly tells little lies.

Perhaps all these details is more than necessary. There’s a moment with the dean telling Raj this deep secret no one else knows at all, how did that fit into this story? Did Raj get anything out of it? Not really. So what was it put into the book? It feels like it’s a misdirection, like maybe that would allow the character to take a real good look at himself, but no, not really. Instead he stumbles into buying a gun, (not the right type for his situation) let alone that in reality he would not get the gun that same exact day, there is a waiting period.

At the end, I was left with the feeling that Raj is never fully truthful to anyone in his life, and question if he was even to himself. So while the book was decent it fell a little flat for me.

Thanks to Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

I listened to the audio book copy of the book from the library. The narration was done superbly.

Review 145: Roadside Americans

Roadside Americans: The Rise and Fall of Hitchhiking in a Changing Nation by Jack Reid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book provides an insight to economic conditions and sentiments towards self-reliance, leisure, community versus individualism, within the context of hitchhiking.

I must admit I was surprised at how the author connected the overall sentiments of the country with hitchhiking, but the premise is valid and certainly explains the rise and fall of the popularity.

During times of economic scarcity, many people relied on hitchhiking as a valid mode of transportation. Drivers understood the need of hitching and in the cooperation of social good, picked up strangers standing by the side of the road. During WWII some towns built stations for soldiers looking for rides to and from base, so they could get rides without violating the military policy of not hitchhiking.

Even during times of prosperity college students and well dressed men were the most likely to be picked up. During the turbulent 60s more women attempted to get rides, but frequently found unwanted sexual advances, particularly when travelling alone. The 60s also brought in a new style of dress from the younger aged hitchhikers that resembled the itinerant travelers that a typical driver would avoid picking up. But the thumb trippers often found rides from fellow hippies, so the practice was common.

The 1980s brought in more self-reliance and individualism with a strong focus on materialism, which meant young people were more interested in owning their own car than the unreliability of hitching rides. Combining law enforcement curtailing the practice with new laws against hitchhiking, and a strong focus on the danger aspect of strangers, hitchhiking was nearly stamped out.

This was a good book on the rise and decline of hitchhiking. There are personal stories along with newspaper accounts of individual’s experience of getting around for free. The chapters were arranged by time periods, starting out with the Great Depression era of 1928–1940. The epilogue dealt with today, comparing ride sharing with hitchhiking as people jump into cars driven by strangers.

The biggest disappointment for the book was the repetition. The introduction could almost have stood for the entire book, while each chapter goes into more depth. The book is an academic overview of a nearly lost mode of transportation. If anyone has any interest in the topic, the book is recommended.

3.5 stars, rounded down for all the repetition.

Thanks to University of North Carolina Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 127: The Quarry Wood

The Quarry Wood by Nan Shepherd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a Scottish book, written by a Scotswoman nearly 100 years ago. The story was at times difficult in reading due to the Scottish Brogue in the dialogue. The rest of the passages were plain enough English to read, but the conversations were tricky. There was a glossary provided at the back of the book, but not all of the words were listed. Many words were contractions, so as to get the feel of the speakers, yet it was at times nearly indecipherable. Generally though it did not pose too big of a problem, as it can be figured out what was being said, more or less.

The story line isn’t all that unique. Here we have a young woman from a poor family that is smart and goes on in her education. Of course she has difficulty with that, as it wasn’t done very much during this time.

Our heroine, Martha struggles. First she feels as an outsider due to her poverty. At home she is chided for being above the rest of her family. Martha manages to continue, having a good friend, who happens to be married. They help her navigate the intellectual world. About the time Martha gets her teaching degree she realizes she’s in love with her best friend’s husband, Luke. Then the misery starts. Fortunately life has a way of bringing her more work than one should be able to manage. For Martha caring for her ill aunt, teaching the wee ones, and taking care of her mother’s house left her little time to ruminate about Luke.

One aspect makes me wonder, Martha’s mother liked to take in young babies, barins. I didn’t understand in the beginning, but near the end it made clear that these barins that were took in were from unwed mothers.

I was interested in a Scottish story, particularly from a while back. Here is a well written book that fits that, if you can manage with the accented words. This book is the first in a series. Don’t think I’ll read all four, but I may try the last, The Living Mountain.



Oh, and final note: I heard that the story was based on the author's own story, of course fictionalized.

Review 70: The Mind at Work

The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker by Mike Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book was going to be like the description, a bit like Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America and Terkel's Working: People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do books, but that is not quite the case.

The book addresses the intelligence, the level of the mind while working at blue-collar type jobs. Society has not acknowledged the level of intelligence these people have that do these types of jobs. Mike Rose explains how people's understanding of intelligence has changed over the years, and this too is one area that needs to be modified. It takes the entire book to come to this conclusion, providing several long examples, and several briefly. A couple of the long examples come from his own family, while others from observing high school classes in vocational education. There are other examples as well, ranging from welder, hair dresser to a surgeon.

One of the later chapters delve into the education of students taking the two tracks of vocational verses academic. This part was unexpected for me. Rose explains how this does a great disservice as the students in vocational education route aren't challenged to their full extent and even come to believe their own intelligence is more limited than it may be, or they denounce intelligence as a way of compensating. Students get placed into programs often by income level backgrounds, or parental jobs. Other issues of how the two tracks differ and perpetuate problems are explained. This chapter felt like there were arguments that came before, for those in the education field may be better versed in the discussion. This chapter also felt like the thesis of the book, what the previous chapters were leading towards.

Mike Rose comes at this topic as a scholar in the field of education. He is a professor in education, yet he writes this book in a fairly approachable manner.

While the book was decent, and he took years in research and writing the book, it felt like there was missing quite a lot as well. Most of the book was about only a few job categories and only briefly mention others. It would seem the book would have been stronger with more details on more job areas, take those curiously mentioned and expanded upon, perhaps cutting down some other areas, or not. The book wasn't overly long.

After reading it entirely I would doubt the book would get a large audience outside of the academic world in the education field. I seem to have a large area of curiosity and love learning, so I continued the book where it veered from my primary interest. Certainly there are other people out there like myself, yet educators will likely gain the most from this book.