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.