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Reviews by Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)

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Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Interesting story (11/10/2024)

I thoroughly enjoyed Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. The story kept me interested in finding out how the different situations would be resolved in both stories and when both stories would intertwine. I don't usually like novels that have 2 interconnected stories from 2 different time periods, but I very much enjoyed this novel, and it was easy for me to follow. Learning about what some slaves did after The Emancipation and how this group banned together to protect themselves and take care of each other was amazing. The present day story was intriguing, but I kept wondering why they let their disagreements go on for so long. The legal aspects of real estate in this story was interesting as I didn't realize how intricate it could be. I will be recommending this book to my book club and will read other books by this author.

The All-American: A Novel
by Joe Milan Jr.

An Absorbing, Enjoyable Read (2/15/2023)

The All-American is an interesting and enjoyable Young Adult book. The story is about Bucky, a high school student, who was deported to Korea, a country he doesn't know as he moved to the United States as a baby. His experience in the United States seemed realistic, not sure about his experience in the Korean military though. This is current events in the United States. My niece's friend was deported without his family to the country of his birth and had a similar experience.
Bucky was a resourceful guy who in a roundabout way got his wish to play football. The story was well written, absorbing, and from a teenage boy's point of view. It is interesting how he applied what he learned in football to help himself with his current difficulties in life. I'm not a football fan and I still enjoyed the story. I think you will too!

Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks

Interesting Point of View (1/2/2023)

This novel has an interesting view on segregation. It tells the story of Alice Young living in New Jessup Alabama in the late 1950's. The town is segregated and the black people living there don't want to change. Alice, black herself, came upon the town by chance and stayed. The people in the town were kind to her and helped her get started. She got a job, fell in love, got married and began raising a family there. I loved the author's use of language describing things like sunsets. It would be interesting to find out what happens next.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley

Lighthearted Romp! (10/27/2022)

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise was an enjoyable book. Pairing up an older woman with a younger woman for a car trip makes for an interesting intergenerational story. Then you add in a hunky young man. What's not to like? There are some unexpected twists to the story. The characters were believable and Louise's back story was interesting. A lighthearted romp!

The Poet's House
by Jean Thompson

A Fun Read! (6/27/2022)

I enjoyed reading The Poet's House very much. It was fun following the adventures of Carla, a young landscaper, and how she decided her career and life path. Carla was very willing to try new things and Viridian, a long-time poet and client, was very willing to befriend her and take her under her wing. Viridian exposed Carla to many new experiences and people which Carla enjoyed. I could not wait to find out what Carla would do next and was very happy with her choices. I look forward to reading Jean Thompson's other books now.

Fly Girl: A Memoir
by Ann Hood

Enjoy the ride! (4/19/2022)

Ann Hood brought me right into her world in her book Fly Girl. I enjoyed learning about her life as a flight attendant and some history on airline travel. I am glad she persevered through the downsides of her job to enjoy traveling to new places. In some regards the changes in the flight attendant job is for the better – male flight attendants and being able to make it a career. It would have been nice to hear about how her personal life (marriage and children) affected her job. The end of the book was too long. I am very glad she was able to transition to a second career, being a writer. I look forward to reading other books she has written.

The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher

What a Treat! (12/8/2021)

The Paris Bookseller was an interesting read. I wasn't sure I was going to like it but eventually I got into the story about the bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, and Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, and Hemingway to name a few. I knew about famous American authors living in Paris in the 1920's but did not know about the bookstore or Beach. I would have loved to have visited it during that time. It was also interesting to learn about Joyce's behaviors and his book, Ulysses, which was published by Beach. I was happy Joyce eventually did the right thing for Beach. I think it would make a fun discussion for book clubs, finding out what people knew about this time in Paris and discussing the various authors.

At the Edge of the Haight
by Katherine Seligman

A Glimpse (10/16/2020)

This story gives you a glimpse into what homelessness is like for young adults. The characters need to be developed more and the story needs to be fleshed out more. It was interesting to see that some businesses are friendly to homeless people because most do not want anything to do with them.

By the end of the story I was wondering what it would take for these young people to turn themselves around – have a home, get a job, marry, and raise a family. There is a movement in the United States to find a permanent place to live first then get them the services they need.

You can learn a lot about a topic reading fiction, and this is no different. It is a worthwhile read for someone who would like to learn about homelessness.

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager

Fascinating and Balances (7/16/2020)

I enjoyed reading The Smallest Lights in the Universe by Sara Seager. Intertwining her personal life with her professional life in this memoir, she is a wonderful writer who builds suspense with space exploration and what is happening in her personal life. Her fascinating job has given her lots of great opportunities to travel. She takes such good care of her husband and sons and talks about managing her work/life balance. Everybody should have a support group like the Widows of Concord.

The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem
by SandraTsing Loh

memorable (4/17/2020)

The Mad Woman and the Roomba has a few memorable stories. I particularly like the story about Sally, her daughter, and her daughter's friend JJ. I also enjoyed the story about the Hindu monks' visit. But it took me a while to get into the book and I had a hard time relating to other stories. There were a few quotes I enjoyed including "The kitchenware of weddings is very beautiful!" It got me thinking and she's right. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book. Is it because I'm much older than the author, have never been divorced, or I live on the East Coast?

You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley

Suprised (8/14/2019)

I thoroughly enjoyed You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley. I didn't want to put it down which surprised me. The twists and turns kept me going, wanting to know if Mia would discover the meaning of her dreams. And then when she met the man in her dream what would she do about it. Mia and Oliver, the man in her dreams, went to great and interesting lengths to find out what their dreams meant. At the same time there was also a lot going on with Mia and her husband Harrison, a doctor - her miscarriage and the death of one of Harrison's patients. I was not expecting the ending but was not disappointed. I will be recommending this to my book club.

Travelers: A Novel
by Helon Habila

Connections (5/28/2019)

I enjoyed reading Travelers by Helon Habila. The book is well written and you get a thorough picture of what recent refugees have gone through and continue to go through with the hope of finding a safe place to live. It was fun finding the connection to each of the stories and the characters. This is the first book I've read on the recent refugee crisis and their stories were eye opening. I learned a lot through the description of each person's journey and I found myself rooting for them especially Juma. I am going to recommend it to my book club, there is lots to discuss.

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray

Coming Together (10/21/2018)

I was drawn right into the story because I wanted to know why Althea and her husband were in jail. Even though The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls story was told from Althea and her two sisters' points of view, it was easy to follow. Although the sisters haven't always gotten along they came together to take care of Althea's daughters, Kim and Baby Vi. Along the way you find out their family history and that despite the hardships growing up they still love and support each other. It was interesting because after a while I realized that the title was more than just one sister having an eating disorder, there were other types of hunger they experienced. I was rooting for the sisters and the daughters to resolve some of their issues and they did. I was particularly glad that the aunts were able to help Kim. It's a very interesting story and there is much to discuss for a book club.

A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Family Dynamics (4/3/2018)

This is a wonderful novel about family, a family who happens to be Muslim and living in the United States. The children are first generation Americans. The 5 family members deal with universal themes of identity, acceptance, belonging, and finding their place in the world. We get each family member's perspective on everyday life and what Muslim customs and tradition are kept.

At the beginning of the story the eldest daughter is getting married and her estranged brother shows up. From there we go back in time to find out what caused the estrangement.

At the end of the novel, in part 4, the tone changes. This was confusing at first until I realized where the author was going in the story. It gave me hope for this dysfunctional family.

I would highly recommend this book. I learned a lot about being Muslim in America through an interesting story.

Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces
by Dawn Davies

Wonderful Essays (9/24/2017)

The Mothers of Sparta is a Memoir in Pieces as stated in the subheading. They are wonderful, in-depth essays. After reading all the essays I get a pretty complete story of her life so far. I don't think I will forget about her son in the title essay or her dog in King of the World. She writes about things that are hard in her life as well as her joys and embarrassments, very relatable. When I finished the book I was amazed she had the time to write. I wish her well!

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
by Heather Harpham

You Just Never Know (6/21/2017)

At first I wasn't sure I would like the book Happiness because the author, Heather Harpham and her boyfriend at the time, Brian, were not very mature. She gets pregnant but he doesn't help so she moves across the country to live with her mother. When Gracie is born with a serious illness he starts taking his father/partner role seriously. Reading about what happens to Gracie and how her parents take care of her and each other is a very absorbing story. I don't know how I would handle it if one of my loved ones had a serious illness. Heather was very brave and gave an honest account, the good and bad. I learned a lot about living with someone who is seriously ill. There will be a lot to discuss at our book club meeting.

Seven Days of Us: A Novel
by Francesca Hornak

Thoroughly Enjoyable (5/28/2017)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Seven Days of Us and didn't want it to end. I was surprised how I got into the story. Life changing events occur with each Birch family member. And these events are revealed to the other family members when they are aquarantined for a week at Christmas. I saw my family members and our relationships in the Birch family. It would take at least a week to have these deep, revealing conversations in my family as well. With a couple of twists I wasn't expecting and the simple ending I would highly recommend this book.

Rise: How a House Built a Family
by Cara Brookins

Uplifting story (10/28/2016)

The story of Cara Brookins and her 4 children was an enjoyable, easy read. She alternates her chapters between Rise (during house building) and Fall (prior to house building) However after a few chapters I decided to read the Rise chapters first because I was more interested in how they built their house and the flow was being interrupted by the Fall chapters. It's amazing how they were able to learn enough on Utube to build a house with some outside help. I was also surprised she was allowed to do her own plumbing.

The Fall chapters showed us how the family was living before building their dream home. These chapters were insightful but disjointed, missed big parts of their life with 2 different abusive husbands and Cara's parents. I learned the affects an abusive person can have on their spouse and children. It seems this family has made great strides in healing and living fulfilling lives.

Tuesday Nights in 1980
by Molly Prentiss

Enjoyable Story (1/17/2016)

A book set in the world of art is not a story I would typically read. So I decided to try this one and glad I did. The author pulls you right in. Having the 3 main characters - Raul, James, and Lucy - not only came from different backgrounds but also different sides of the New York City art world made for a richer story. A few of the twists had me asking myself if that really happened because I wasn't expecting them. Also it was very interesting how significant Tuesday was to the story. Once I got into the story I didn't want to put it down. And not everything was resolved at the end but that's fine with me. Enjoy!

Whispering Shadows
by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Is it A Mystery or A Love Story (1/23/2015)

Whispering Shadows is a well written mystery/love story. It deals with the challenges of keeping secrets from friends and the death of a loved one while solving the mysterious disappearance of a businessman. The author includes wonderful descriptions of life in China and Hong Kong. It was a real page turner for me because I wanted to know what motivated Paul's, Zhang's, and Christine's behaviors. Rooting for Paul and I was very happy with how the story ended. This is the first book I have read by Sendker and would like to read his others.

Reviews by Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)

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