Review 651: The Bookman’s Tale

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a mixed bag for me, although I did enjoy it overall. The story is told in multiple timelines. It contains a bit of a mystery about William Shakespeare's writing, specifically on one book that was found. The main character Peter Byerly is an antiquarian bookseller and mourning the death of his wife. But in one timeline is their relationship, from start to end and some scenes were over the top. This part I didn't like as much, the more modern time and searching was more intriguing. The ending was what?

My head is a bit muddled from the flu right now, and I'd like to say more, but muddled. Perhaps I will return later with more.

Review 650: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Perhaps it is the living vicariously, or seeing what else is out there, but I do have an interest in reading about people’s work, even fictional accounts. So when this book came along it piqued my interest.

The content is a complete account of the different jobs Hu Anyan had until the writing of this book. He goes into the most detail while describing the package delivery job and working at a bike shop.

As the book continues Anyan discusses his internal life more, along with his social anxiety and difficulty with communicating with people. Often the job posed problems for him having these difficulties, such as when he was trying to run a business. He had a little shop and when purchasing from his wholesalers it was expected to negotiate pricing but he just accepted whatever they told him. Then he felt he lost face when realized what was going on and could not continue dealing with the same people.

One aspect of this book that I found interesting was the work culture in China. Just for one example, as a worker in the United States I am used to a 5 day/40 hour work week, but in China 6 days a week with 10-12 hours per day is expected. Anyan had some jobs were those hours were extended longer and not compensated for the extra time. Overtime pay wasn’t mentioned, likely something that doesn’t exist in China.

The writing style was fairly basic and since it is a translation it’s hard to determine if it’s from the original author or the translator. There were some clichés used that did not help and just made the writing feel awkward. It took me a while to read this book, as there wasn’t anything compelling to propel the story forward.

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

Review 649: The Shift

The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives by Theresa Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you ever wanted to know what it was like in a day of a nurse, this may be a good book to read. This nurse, Theresa Brown, works in oncology hematology, which is blood cancer. The hospital floor where she works may also get patients with rare blood disorders, such as one of her patients in this book.

Theresa was professor at Tufts University with a doctorate in English and made the unusual shift to becoming a nurse after having twins. Brown first thought about being a maternity nurse but the more challenging care is in the cancer wards.

This book covers just one day, one shift, beginning and ending at home. There are all the minute details of what goes on throughout the day. For some people this level of minutia may be a little too much, but it was fine for me.

The book title says four patients, but in the end there really are five. One goes home and a new patient is admitted, actually she gets two new patients that day, although both were already known to her as they had been previously admitted. The very last part of the book give a follow-up of where these patients are now, at least at the time of the writing and publication.

Review 648: Our Own Country

Our Own Country by Jodi Daynard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second book of a trilogy, the first one being The Midwife's Revolt. I didn’t like this book as much as the first. It wasn’t as concerned with the American Revolution as the first book, for one. Also, for a large part of the book that repeated the actions as the first book really slowed this one down.

The point of view shifted here, as it is now of, Eliza Boylston. She is the sister-in-law of Lizzie, the main character in the first book. Eliza's story is more concerned with her personal relationship with a slave, John Watkins, and other domestic matters. She grows as a person, which is nice to see. And clearly has different views of enslaved people than her parents, or many at that time. Perhaps there are too much of modern feelings placed into Eliza than what you would find from a woman of her era.

Review 647: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Instead of writing some notes about the books I’ve read recently I went and read another one. Okay, this one is short, a novella, and better read around Halloween perhaps.

I won’t say much about this as so many others have done a great job, better than I could do…but one thing. I generally knew of the story going in, so the mystery of who was Mr. Hyde was already known. Yet I had the thought that this could be viewed as someone who becomes a meth addict, or drug addict of the chemical manufactured type.

Dr. Jekyll mixes up these chemicals, a white powder and some special salts, and he is transformed. In the story he is described as physically changed. There are some drugs where addicts become quite physically changed in appearance as well, thin, smaller, faces disfigured, and their personality changes as well, generally not for the better. Yet they do not usually go back to their old self, or perhaps only once they stop using, more or less. Perhaps not a perfect comparison but a thought of some similarities of today.

Happy to have finally read this classic. It's easily read in a day.