Thursday, May 12, 2022

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson


Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson features the story of a family grieving the loss of their mother, Eleanor. The family has been fractured for years and part of Eleanor's will includes a voice recording of her sharing her life story with her children, Benny and Byron. The story takes them back to the Caribbean island on which Elanore was born, to London where she went for her education, and finally to California where she raised her family. The number of surprises revealed rock Benny and Byron's foundations and lead them to question all they ever thought they knew about their mother and about their own lives. The only thing they have left of her is a single black cake in the freezer, a family tradition about which they are finally going to learn.

The number of storylines Wilkerson introduces could have been dizzying, but she expertly weaves them into a beautiful tapestry of family history, tragedy, love, and secrecy. I adored this book! I was so heartbroken by the loss and the forfeited opportunities. The writing was absolutely beautiful. I was thrilled with the way all the little ribbons of stories braided together and nothing was left dangling at the end. This was Wilkerson's debut novel, but I can't wait to read more of her work.  

 

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman



Do you know what's amusing about people who try to ban books? They have no idea that they are just adding to the TBR lists of thousands, possibly millions, of readers in the world. I had heard of Maus by Art Spiegelman, but I hadn't read it until Tennessee decided it shouldn't be allowed in their schools. It is a graphic novel about the holocaust featuring anthropomorphized mice and cats as the Jews and Nazis, but the Tennessee lawmakers were concerned that there were illustrations of naked mice. I still can't stop shaking my head.

I read the "complete" edition which contains both volume one and volume two of the heartbreaking story of the author's father's experiences in 1940's Poland and Germany. The first volume is officially titled A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History and the second is titled A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began. These stories are so difficult to read, but so necessary. If we don't acknowledge how horrible things like this have happened in the past, how can we hope to prevent them in the future? I highly recommend these books and I see absolutely no grounds for their banned status.

READ BANNED BOOKS!

 

Monday, April 18, 2022

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult


I am going to admit right at the beginning of this review that I have historically not been a fan of Jodi Picoult. I read a couple of her books years ago and didn't enjoy them and so swore off anything by her in the future. It is the reason I was so reluctant to read this book, The Storyteller, for so long. I saw all the good reviews from friends and finally decided to give it a try.

I am so glad I did.

Sage is a baker who keeps mostly to herself while still overwhelmed with grief after the death of her mother three years previous. When she unexpectedly becomes friends with a nonagenarian named Josef in her grief counseling group, she begins to open up a little more to the world. When he confesses the most heinous secret possible, she has to decide if she should tell or grant him the unusual favor he asks of her. How many years must pass before we are no longer the person who committed a crime? Can the good we do ever outweigh the bad? These are the questions Sage has to answer.

As hard as I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, it is simply not possible today so please read on at your own risk.

=======================================================


This book is told in three parts. The first and last sections are Sage's story and her dilemma, but the middle part focuses on the harrowing experiences of Sage's grandmother, Minka, during the holocaust. As heartbreaking and difficult as Minka's story is to read, it is beautifully and compellingly written. I couldn't stop reading; I couldn't look away. There were, however, several moments when I had to put the book in my lap and sob. Picoult doesn't shy away from describing the horrors experienced in the concentration camps. She delivers the blows with merciless precision, as well she should. When atrocities such as these are part of reality, it is our responsibility to genuinely and honestly look at how they happened so as to watch for risks of repeat in the future.

Minka's story was my favorite part of this book, but the sections told from Sage's point of view aren't as enjoyable. I didn't care for her character very much. I also didn't really care for the ending. It left so much to be desired. Unfortunately, these sections force me to drop rating from five to four stars, which I think is still pretty good considering. This book was wonderful. I'm so glad I read it.

 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel


I really enjoyed Laurie Frankel's This Is How It Always Is and her latest novel One Two Three was just as wonderful. Mab, Monday, and Mirabel are triplets born in a time of hardship for their small town, Bourne. A chemical plant has poisoned the water and the repercussions are immense. Now sixteen and doing their best to survive high school and a dying town, they are determined to make things better. Included with the sisters is a whole cast of remarkable characters: Nora, their mother, who has been fighting to bring a lawsuit against the chemical company their whole lives; Omar, the mayor, who some hold at least partially responsible for what happened; Pooh, the old blind woman who isn't blind that Mab reads to once a week; and River, the son and grandson of the owners of the chemical plant whose family has moved back to town to try to reopen the plant.

I loved this book. I love that Frankel opens it with the caveat that this is a work of fiction but also that it is based on real things that have happened in real towns and that continue to happen today. A quote from the book:

If the water were contaminating wealthy Bostonians, that would be unacceptable and addressed.
But Bourne? Bourne is completely disposable.

This is an environmental story and one about people with different physical abilities and disabilities. This is a story about suffering, but also overcoming; about fighting for what is right even if it isn't necessarily in the way some people would say is the right way. Frankel writes fantastic characters and with so much heart. I have read some really good books this year and this one is right near the top. 

 

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Willodeen by Katherine Applegate


Who read Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan and didn't love it? No one that I know. Applegate is fantastic at getting into the hearts of her readers. Her most recent release, Willodeen, is a fantasy novel that follows a young girl named Willodeen whose life has been devastated by a fire. Taken in by a couple of lovely old women, she is nursed back to health and loved just as she is, quirks and all. Rounding out their odd family is an injured hummingbear, a sweet little creature covered in light fur, but whose wings no longer fly. Willodeen is obsessed with learning about the beast everyone in town hates, the screechers. When the fragile ecosystem supporting the town begins to fail, it is Willodeen and her new friend Connor who uncover the cause.

This book was cute and a short read, but I didn't connect with it the same way I did with Ivan. There is a clear message about preserving the environment and how our actions affect the world around us. I think that is really good for children to learn in a way that isn't too harsh. There is plenty of charm within these pages.


 

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis


In Fiona Davis's The Lions of Fifth Avenue, we meet Laura, a wife and mother in 1913 whose family is living in the recently opened New York Public Library. We also meet her granddaughter, Sadie, eighty years later who is a curator at the same library. The two never met but Sadie is intrigued with her grandmother's reputation as a famous feminist essayist. When books begin going missing in Sadie's timeline, she is surprised to find that there were also book thefts at the time her grandmother and mother lived in the library. She dives headfirst into the mystery with the hope of rescuing some of the world's most important pieces of literature.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I was very curious where the mystery would lead us. Davis did an excellent job balancing the two different timelines and points of view and each chapter ending had me wanting to keep the pages turning. I loved reading about turn-of-the-century feminism and the challenges that women of the time faced in their desires to pursue their own passions. I also enjoyed hearing about the NY Public Library and now it is on my list of places to visit. This was my first Fiona Davis novel, but I can't wait to read more!

 

Monday, March 7, 2022

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy


I have really enjoyed Julie Murphy's books, especially Dumplin', and her latest offering may be my favorite yet. If the Shoe Fits is a Cinderella retelling set in a Bachelor-type matchmaking television show. Cindy has recently graduated from fashion school where her focus was shoe design, but with no job prospects, she moves back home to live with her stepmother, two stepsisters, and triplet half-siblings. When the last-minute opportunity arises to appear on the show, Cindy doesn't let herself consider if her curves will make her a target for trolls. Instead, she focuses on the exposure her designs will receive... and the cash prize at the end. It's a risk, but one she's willing to take.

This was an adorable adventure into a very familiar fairytale. The characters were darling and I really enjoyed the relationships between the women. The real world is a bit chaotic right now and this was a sweet escape into fantasy land. I highly recommend you add it to your list of fun reads.