Review 255: Turbulence

Turbulence by David Szalay
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is a short book made up of short stories. The stories are connected, slightly, and that was what drew me into reading this book. It is well written but like many short story collections, I wanted more.

The characters are drawn up quickly, you fall into their lives, then they are gone. Well, not entirely as each story has two main people in them, and you follow one of them to the next story with another person. They are connections.

Connections much like at airports when flying. In fact, each story starts with the airport codes from – to, and a third if there is a connection, as each is traveling to another location as well, Hong Kong is one of the most frequent.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated quite well. But the airport codes were too quick for me to catch which cities are involved. In print that would be easier to deal with.

I enjoyed this, yet left wanting more.

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 253: Office

Office by Sheila Liming
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Written just before the pandemic which has also changed the office. Unfortunate timing, as would be interesting to have thoughts on that aspect. Although the last chapters do talk about the end of the office, the pandemic just helped that along.

This is one of the better entries in Bloomsbury Academic’s Object Lessons series. The book is well organized and provides in-depth history and curiosities that are perfect for this type of series of books. Author Liming touches briefly on literature and film/television references.

We see the full cycle of the office here, with the early beginning and the looming sense of the end of the office. Although the book was written just before the pandemic, which sent most of the office workers to work from home, upending many assumptions of what a worker or manager could accomplish when not all in the same building. It is unfortunate timing and would be enlightening if Liming provided thoughts on this latest change in offices. Perhaps there will be an addendum or additional chapter added at some future date. Office part two.

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

Review 252: The Sky Above Us

The Sky Above Us by Natalie Lund
My rating: NOT RATED 

I can't get into this story, can't connect to these characters. It is a YA book, and my age is well beyond that, but I have plenty of YA books that I can connect to and enjoy. Still, I will admit the younger set may connect to this book where I could not.

There was one aspect in the story line that I was interested in, but that was relegated so much to the back that it wasn't enough to keep me interested.

No rating since I did not finish. Read about 40% of the book.


Thanks to Philomel Books/Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Additional tags: friends, death, suicide, past lives, twins, family, Young Adult, fiction

Review 251: A Summer Affair

A Summer Affair by Ivan Klíma
My rating: 2 of 5 stars



The book is about an affair and one man's seemingly inability to do anything than purse this one woman. Their conversations are overwrought. There is some play with the form of a novel, but honestly I could have done without reading this book.

Wasn’t too keen on this book. I may have enjoyed it more when I was in my 20s, when enamored with Czech writing. But it seemed like just an overwrought tale of an affair.

The main character, David Krempa is a biologist and completely focused on his work, attempting to find immortality. He is married with two small girls, but hardly pays them any attention he is so focused on work. Finally he was accepted to a prestigious position in England for a year to do lectures, now he has even more work in preparing teaching. 

David seems to barely tolerate his wife, and nearly fights her to do anything outside of his work. When the landlady ends up dead one of them must go to the funeral, and very reluctantly David does this as Camilla just can’t. He is late, it’s raining and he notices a very beautiful young woman opposite him who reminds him a bit of his mother, with her neck and hair. David offers her a ride, who accepts with her husband, although they live at different places. David is so taken by this young woman, Iva that he ends up unable to think of her. He does foolish things, and yes, ends up having an affair with her.