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Reviews by JanineS

Ordinary Love: A Novel
by Marie Rutkoski

Intelligent and poignant love story (3/27/2025)

In spite of what the title says, this is not an “ordinary love” story. As one of the characters, Gen, says near the end, “nothing in life is ordinary.” This book is a love story of contrasts: Emily and Gen, high school sweethearts and Emily and Jack, the traditional man- …more

The Whyte Python World Tour: A Novel
by Travis Kennedy

Hilariously irreverent but fun thriller (3/23/2025)

Wow! What a hilariously irreverent but fun thriller about a heavy metal band in the late 1980s being recruited by the CIA to “topple the Eastern Bloc through the power of rock.” Strange and weird premise but it works! The author has created a great character in Richard …more

Universality: A Novel
by Natasha Brown

Complex story on the affect of words (3/12/2025)

I initially chose this book because of the book summary indicated it was potentially a mystery but upon reading it was focused on British politics as its story line. This was unexpected but not necessarily a bad thing as the structure of the book was intriguing and the …more

Dream Count: A Novel
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What dreams are made of (3/1/2025)

I was given an advance reader's copy of this book for an upcoming book club discussion. I was excited and honored to get it because Purple Hibiscus, Adichie's earlier book, is one of my favorites and I think this, the second book I've read by her, will be joining that list. …more

First, the book is definitely a character-driven novel, though with four female characters (Chiamaka, Zikora, Kadiatou, and Omelgor) whose lives intertwine and with whom you become intimately involved and develop a connection. The four women comes from different backgrounds in their native Nigeria: Chiamaka and Zikora come from wealth and while Omelgor might be more middle class, she cleverly abuses the system to gain wealth; Kadiatou is poor but manages through a series of circumstances to find her way to America where she succeed in creating a good life and finds herself in a friendship with Chiamaka.

Second, a part of the story line is based on real event (the author's note explains this in great detail), so there is an historical element to the telling of these women's lives. This event is fraught with misogyny, sexism and degradation, pointing to dilemmas women, regardless of nationality and country, face every day. Finally, the title itself is about all the women's "dreams" about finding a man who will be "the one" to complete her but in all four stories, "no one" emerges, but these women seem fulfilled in their lives as their stories are told and unfold in the book.

The book is divided into five parts: the first four revolve around each of the characters; the last goes back to Chiamaka, who is the main character, as her friendships and familial relationships are what tie all four women together. In dividing the book this way, Adichie develops her characters, intertwines the women together and shows how as each possibly pursues finding a husband (this is very big in the Nigerian culture, so relatives are always nagging at the women about this), the men they meet either are self-serving, selfish or have secondary motives in pursuing a relationship. When Kadiatou does marry (she really doesn't have the option to be independent), it is an arranged marriage to an older man and it's not all that great. Omelgor writes a column or blog filled with letters advising men on their foibles and why they drive women aways - some of very funny and clever.

All in all, the dream aspect in the novel serves as a great counterpoint to what happens to Kadiatou (you have to read the book to find out what this is), showing that men can be inherently cruel, selfish and that society in general really doesn't have all that high of opinion on women. I really enjoyed this book both for the story line, the female characters who are all so different but who represent real women and their struggles to fit into society, and for the writing itself. Adichie is a wonderful writer. Highly recommend. (less)

Havoc: A Novel
by Christopher Bollen

Dark, haunting and deliciously suspenseful (2/22/2025)

Wow! This book came recommended from a variety of sources and it managed to met the mark on those recommendations. This is a dark, haunting and deliciously suspenseful novel. It pits an 81 year old woman against an 8 year old boy, each delightfully suspicious of the other …more

Giovanni's Room
by James Baldwin

Haunting exploration of sexuality (2/8/2025)

Reading a book for exploration in Black History Month, certainly makes a book by the great James Baldwin an excellent choice. The story deals with the main character’s, David, struggle with his homosexuality at a time (1950s Paris) “when liberation was desired, but …more

The Storm We Made: A Novel
by Vanessa Chan

Exceptional historical fiction (1/6/2024)

Wow! This was one moving, hard-to-put down, beautifully written book. Set in Malaya during WWII, the book follows Cecily Alcantara and her children (Jujube, Abel and Jasmine) between February - December 1945. This is a period in which the war is unraveling for the Japanese, …more

Antoinette's Sister
by Diana Giovinazzo

Fascinating story of a forgotten queen (3/11/2022)

What a fascinating story of a strong, proud and amazing queen forgotten by history! Reading this book during Women’s History Month was a bonus too. As Queen of the Two Sicilies, daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa and sister to Marie Antoinette, Maria Carolina Charlotte …more

Blood River: The Terrifying Journey Through the World's Most Dangerous Country
by Tim Butcher

Eye-opening, pithy exploration of the Congo (2/21/2022)

In reviewing my TBR bookshelf, I found this book and what an excellent choice it was to read as it was interesting, exciting and harrowing story of the Congo. The author, a British journalist for The Daily Telegraph, set out to follow the 1874-77 route of Henry Morton …more Stanley used in charting the Congo River. Set in 2004 shortly after a peace breakdown in the region, the journey itself over land and on the river was frightening (possible rebels lurking everywhere and corrupt officials demanding/trying to extort money), exhausting (heat, bugs and lack of drinkable water or living conditions), and complicated (finding transportation in an area destroyed by war and climate deteriorations required strategy). Loved the history behind Stanley’s exploration as well as the colonial and current history (as of 2008 book publication). Having read King Leopoldo’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild, I was familiar somewhat with what he did to colonize the Congo - and exploit and treat the natives inhumanly - so re-reading aspects of this period was enjoyable. Also, it was interesting to read about the filming of The African Queen (the author cited excerpts from Katherine Hepburn’s diaries of her time in one part of the author’s Congo trip). To read of the deterioration of colonized cities due to the corrupt Congo regimes who exploited the country’s natural resources for personal gain (sound familiar?) when they took over the Congo after it gained independence from Belgium in 1960 was sad. The conditions of life are so primitive and the people so poor, it would seem that their lives are doomed. Then there is the violence of the bloody revolts between 1960-2002 which was chilling to read. I marveled too at what the author put up with physically. It was no picnic to journey in this underdeveloped part of the world where electricity and sanitary living conditions were few and far between. I think I was exhausted when I was finished reading the book and I didn’t do the trek (LOL)! But I was saddened by the poverty and neglect of the Congolese people by their leaders and fellow neighbors. As an example of this, at the end of Chapter 10 when one of the author's contacts on his journey, Oggi, asks him to take his 4-year-old son with him because Oggi knew that his son's life was not one of a future filled with promise or hope. This was heart-wrenching to read. Overall, though, I’m very glad I read this book. Highly recommend. (less)

When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky
by Margaret Verble

Enchanting, delightful read (10/1/2021)

What and enchanting, delightful book! Not only is the book beautifully written, but the characters and story line create a world that you are drawn into and want to be a part of. Set in 1926 Nashville in the now defunct Glendale Park and Zoo, Verble brings Two Feathers, a …more

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A Map to Paradise
by Susan Meissner

From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

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Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

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The Devil Finds Work
by James Baldwin

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The River Knows Your Name
by Kelly Mustian

A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.

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The Husbands
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