Every great race, like the Boston or New York Marathons, deserves a story. And by that I mean each great race needs a work of fiction to help us feel Every great race, like the Boston or New York Marathons, deserves a story. And by that I mean each great race needs a work of fiction to help us feel the drama. Most of the time we get a long history of the contest, which is fine, but not so exciting. Sometimes you get an account of just one of those races, like Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon. Oh, boy – that might be better than fiction. But still not fantasy, not a bedtime story. So, a bestseller all about a classic race, finally translated and exported to the US, is certainly welcome.
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The story opens with Kiyose, something of a house captain at a small university in Tokyo, who spots a shoplifter cutting through the night with breakneck speed and flawless form. He hops on his bike and manages to chase down the blazing Kakeru, and asks the question I love to hear: “Do you like to run?” He entices Kakeru to live in Chikusei-so house with a rent he can’t refuse, but it’s packed with a group of straight-up eccentrics.
It isn’t long before Kiyose springs it on the group: they’re there to train for the Hakone Ekiden, a 2-day relay in which each participant runs just about a half-marathon, most of it in the hills. He makes it a condition of the low, low rent, so no one backs out. But only Kakeru and Kiyose are real runners, so their odds of even qualifying are pretty grim.
I’m a little ashamed, as a marathoner and track coach, to have been ignorant of the Ekiden. But the more I learned, the more I liked. Try not to decipher all the complicated details and seeming calculus it takes to understand how to qualify. As Kiyose explained it, my head hurt and I daydreamed a bit. But if you just look at it as a cool but grueling competition that’s cherished by Japan, that’s good enough.
When you have a book with ten characters, there’s a tendency to want to develop them all. Not gonna happen, at least not with much depth. But Miura does very well, providing each with funny quirks and interesting backstories to keep everything moving. The foci, of course, are the past demons faced by Kakeru, and what might just be Kiyose’s last chance at glory. So, while the side quests of the other characters are neat, the drama really lies with those two.
The writing seems a little…literal? We say, “show, don’t tell,” and there’s a lot of “tell” here. “He had a lot of determination toward his goal,” is the style. I wonder if it’s due to the translation, however. The ideas and feelings were there, but often the descriptions didn’t have the pizzazz.
What does match the excitement is the action. Yeah, the strange wording is there, but the plot is key. Miura raises the stakes gradually, giving each Chikusei-so runner a reason to go for it. She also introduces something of a villain from another university.
And the race. That probably could’ve been a novel in and of itself. The sights and sounds are clear and thrilling. Miura takes us through just about every step of every runner, and includes their thoughts, anxieties, and triumphs.
And if you’ve ever achieved a lifelong running goal, whatever it might be, you’ll relate to the Chikusei-so runners. There’s ten of them, so you’re sure to identify with at least one: be it the back of the pack guy, the record-setter, the would-be coach. It’s the crux of the novel for a reason: we’re meant to join the guys in the race, to experience it in some small way for ourselves. It’s what you’d want from a running novel, and you get it. It’s also got an ending that makes sense, doesn’t go all Hollywood, and leaves you with a smile.
Did it make me want to run an Ekiden? Eh, only if someone needs an old, slow leg. But it’s books like this that keep me running.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. Run with the Wind comes out October 15....more
Whoops! Some alien queen went and blew up the Earth. For what it’s worth, she’s written an apology. That should soften the blow, right?
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When outWhoops! Some alien queen went and blew up the Earth. For what it’s worth, she’s written an apology. That should soften the blow, right?
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When outer space visitors invade our planet and try to live among us, you don’t expect them to have a sense of humor. Nor do you think they’ll fall into a swoony romance. But that’s the unique, lively, and even heartwarming premise here. And if you’re in the mood for some smiles and laughs mixed with your sci-fi adventure, you’ll enjoy this little indie story.
Aria, ruler of the Brooshaloos, secretly leaves the US government compound in Alaska with her aide de camp (Penny) to explore the human world (and, as we later learn, support her people). Disguised as a beautiful woman, she meets Greg Jones, assistant to a US Senator. There’s an attraction there, but there’s also some information he might have about her mission. Despite Penny’s protests, Aria travels to Washington to discover more, where she can’t seem to shake Greg, either from her trail or her heart. Then, a mysterious explosion occurs, and Aria might have a clue as to whodunit. And that means trouble, both for her and for her adopted planet. Ours.
Tone and premise are where this book shines. It boldly goes where no one has gone before (see what I did there??!). Aria is the narrator, and she’s dictating a letter of apology to the Earth, with an eye toward her new love. She does a great job of foreshadowing without giving away spoilers. Her appreciation for all the wild, crazy, and fun things our world has to offer is heartening and sweet. Her affection for Greg will make you smile.
Sci-fi stories have a lot of rules, or a very specific order of events, both of which make this a rare genre for me. For the most part, this novel does perfectly fine, keeping the theme light and the plot not overly complex. The rising action and the race to the finish, however, do require close reading. And thus, the pace, which had been traveling at warp speed, hits a plateau. That said, the simplicity of the writing and the approachability of Aria, Greg, and the other characters push things in a satisfying direction.
Pozo also tries something different here: footnotes. No, really: there are 256 of them, sprinkled throughout Aria’s narration. They’re often funny, sometimes informative, and show us the interesting contrasts of our worlds. If you’ve been scarred by your college textbooks as I was, you might do what I did: read some, ignore at will. I found that to be a good strategy: if I were in the mood for a Rodney Dangerfield-esque one-liner, I read it. Otherwise, I passed it by. I don’t think I lost anything in the process. (Note: I read an ebook, which made these endnotes and not footnotes. Not sure how the printed version will treat these.)
(Another note: see what I did there? Writing about endnotes…with a side note? Yes! I got a million of ‘em! Try the veal!)
The character development was solid, and I got to know enough about them to like / revile / understand them. The romance doesn’t pervade the story, and the spice is set to Mild, but it keeps things moving and hits all the right points. The ending, which gets more than a little technical, was still fun and exciting. Likeable and clever are good words to describe this work.
And, if sci-fi / speculative fiction is your thing, you might check what else this little indie operation, Splinter Press, has to offer. I peeked at the website, and it seems non-traditional and off the beaten path.
Or in this case, tractor beam.
Thank you to NetGalley and Splinter Press for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. Sorry, Humans Especially Greg comes out August 30.
Perhaps the best way to summarize this novel is to just say, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Of course, this doesn’t span a century and the narrating gPerhaps the best way to summarize this novel is to just say, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Of course, this doesn’t span a century and the narrating ghosts make sure neither the MCs or you are ever alone. But I think you get the point: sweeping magical realism set in the jungles and towns of Latin America - in this case, El Salvador.
It takes about fifty pages to figure out the main characters: Consuelo and Graciela. We learn their story from their friends who are, um…dead. And that’s not a spoiler, since in the very first chapter, they tell us they’re dead, of some horrible political massacre. It’s set in a series of small towns, a coffee economy, on the side of a volcano. Eventually, it moves to California and Paris.
Tremendous description here. Wow, what a setting! The author conveys both the danger and beauty of the jungle. Also, the voices are quite poetic. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional f-bomb here, since the interactions between characters are emotional, meaningful, and full of love. Ghosts are meant to be haunting, and these girls are experts.
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Now, if you love magic (and not the romantasy kind), you’ll be in heaven (or wherever the ghosts are). There are named spirits that actually show up and swirl around the main characters. The General does something bad, and gets chased by a spectral legend. The dead girls visit the living, right when they needed it. Very cool.
However…
This is meant to be read slowly. And that’s not what I do. I prefer to be entertained, told a story I can easily follow. The first fifty pages here did the opposite. It was hard to understand who the narrators were. The timeline flies all over. The claims to be dead threw me off. There’s basically no direction. Again, beautifully described, but if you want to follow what’s happening, you need to read paragraphs over and over. The narrator will be telling us about Socorrito, but then digress into a story about a spirit, and not come back to the original story. This made it the writing less like Gabriel García Márquez and more like Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace And certainly not Isabel Allende. Things just didn’t connect. For me, at least.
It gets better when Consuelo and Graciela meet in the General's home. Better still when they escape. But even there, the lack of a linear plot wrought havoc on my attention span. I admit, I skimmed the ending.
Also, have your Spanish-English dictionary handy. I have a rusty grip on the language, and even I had to Google translate a few words. In fact, the author goes full phrases in the language without offering a translation. I can see those who don’t speak or understand the language getting rather annoyed.
But that’s how magical realism goes. Usually. 100 Years remains one of my favorites, but the plot there is more traditional. It’s meant to flit in and out of consciousness, back and forth through time, circling what’s real and what’s not. The author does a good job of taking us to her worlds, both real and imagined. Telling where, when, and why we’re there, however, was a shortcoming.
I recommend this: recognize that I’m the wrong person to review this kind of book. My opinions probably ignore the features that make this book great. I could pick out things I like, but saying it’s bad based on my aversion of the genre just isn’t fair.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. The Volcano Daughters comes out Tuesday, August 20.
Stephanie Kiser moves to New York after college, hoping to make a career in writing and a life in the city of her dreams. But writing doesn’t pay the Stephanie Kiser moves to New York after college, hoping to make a career in writing and a life in the city of her dreams. But writing doesn’t pay the bills, so on her friend’s advice, she takes up nannying for the city’s elite. There she sees how the 1% lives, first with a reasonable family, but later with those with insane demands and incredibly lavish lifestyles.
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As the subtitle indicates, the author shares her observation of how wealthy parents live in the context of her own upbringing. Once again, I didn’t read the summary thoroughly, because I was expecting something of an “exposé.” That’s there, but the chapters are sprinkled with memories from Kiser’s past. It took some getting used to, but after a while I understood what she was trying to do. It’s rough indeed: verbal abuse, poor education, near-poverty, mental illness. Doesn’t sound like fun.
The skill here comes in not devolving into self-pity. Instead, she shares her history to demonstrate how alien her situation was. The shock is evident, watching babies wear Prada and other name brands, only to spill grape juice on it all. The waste and the extravagance make her families a little crazy, and they pass on those actions and thoughts onto her. The kids are mostly fine, but unsurprisingly a little spoiled. That said, she develops fondness for her charges and learns about parenting.
Kiser also does a good job sharing her current personal challenges. She has an abortion, which changes her perspective and attitude. She finds it hard to relate to others and loses friends. And the demands of her job, one she never really chose, prevent her from moving onto better things. Sure, she makes a good salary, but she can’t pursue writing or find another job. She barely has time for herself, and she starts to question why she came to this city in the first place. She considers the meaning of money, of have/have not, and I liked her reflections on that topic.
As for equality, the most salient point is the heavy burden women bear in rearing children. Her views are based on solid evidence, watching the women in the families take on cleaning and changing diapers while the men do very little, even when both have jobs. In other matters of equality, it was enough for her to share the surprising lifestyles and expectations of the wealthy. Kiser’s style seems to rely too often on “tell, not show,” with a few blanket statements, but the book shines in the detail.
Good treatment of an interesting topic, mixed in with meaningful personal reflections. Absolutely recommended.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant was released August 6 and is available now.
Wow, was there a lot of talk about this one. GR assaulted me on a regular. Lots of you posted reviews. And I voted for her husband twice.
That in mindWow, was there a lot of talk about this one. GR assaulted me on a regular. Lots of you posted reviews. And I voted for her husband twice.
That in mind, I guess I set my expectations pretty high. So that when I started, I got a little bogged down. She’s describing piano lessons at age four. But then she relates it to the theme of “striving.” Always trying to do her best, especially as a young Black woman. Ah, OK. But she also didn’t ram home the point, bragging about how great she was, how amazing it was for her to get into Princeton. She takes a humble tone, just like I’d have assumed of her.
In fact, Michelle strikes me as a very chill person. Hard to imagine, given her education and her stint in corporate law. She never seems to lose her cool, never takes herself too seriously. Sure, the prose sometimes sounds like a legal brief, formal and academic when emotional would be better. But she delivers her experiences well.
I liked her observations of Barack. She humanizes him but also recognizes his talents and his drive. There’s a difference: she needs order, he can act within the order. Hey, all you rom-com lovers: here’s a good opposites attract trope (sort of). She also seems like a fun mom: not a hover parent, but encouraging her girls to do the best they can in everything. Sounds good to me.
She approaches the White House with that same humility. She wasn’t sure what to do, but knew she didn’t want to overreach. Inclusivity and approachability were tantamount. Her initiatives seemed great to me, and I hadn’t known about them before.
Overall, I liked what I read. Good to know she’s enjoying life after the White House. She might be the FLOTUS, but she’s one of us.
Two women find themselves neighbors on a remote lake in the Pacific Northwest. Frankie (Mary Frances) is an ornithologist whose dissertation is going Two women find themselves neighbors on a remote lake in the Pacific Northwest. Frankie (Mary Frances) is an ornithologist whose dissertation is going down the tubes. Anne is an Irish expat, a singer/songwriter taking a break to care for her five-year-old boy who suddenly stopped talking a few months ago. Both experienced a recent death of someone close, and both have associated family issues. They come together when Frankie takes care of an injured baby crow with the help of Anne’s son, Aiden.
Come for the descriptions of nature, of bird calls, of the subtly placed lessons wildlife has to give. Stay for the complex, beautiful, and realistic family interactions.
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It has a ton of long paragraphs and ornate detail of the outdoors, which might otherwise put me off. Not this time. There was a delicacy, a poetry to Garvin’s writing that’s simply compelling. I smelled the musty, forest air; I felt the gentle breezes; I saw the ripples on the lake; I cringed at the force of the storms.
I also realized I never pay attention to bird calls. I really should. We have a family of mourning doves nesting in our awning, and starlings and sparrows race along our Brooklyn street. Either Garvin is an ornithologist herself, or she did some serious homework. She seemed to know the call of every bird from here to Oregon, and she placed them so expertly and carefully into the speech and thoughts of her characters.
Finally, all this science and nature is backdropped so artfully into a dramatic, emotional, and heart-warming dual family drama. I love books that detail the struggle of parenting, and wow! She totally nails it. Anne’s fears and anxieties about her son, and how she feels about in-laws telling her what to do are described almost flawlessly. The characters and their situations feel so true, including what Aiden experiences. (I also loved his chapters!) The rivalries and jealousies and secrets in each family are entirely believable and interesting. Thus, it’s hard to classify this as just a nature book. No, it’s a prize-worthy drama within a nature story.
The leader in the clubhouse for best 2024 book of the year!
I spent time with my good friend Julio this summer. Not only did he welcome my family into his beautiful home, he sent me home with a book! He’s a forI spent time with my good friend Julio this summer. Not only did he welcome my family into his beautiful home, he sent me home with a book! He’s a former player and coach, and I rely on him for insight into the state of baseball. Although I check him back for his scouting expertise. (Trent Grisham? Seriously?)
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I love biographies, and I love baseball. But this about as nontraditional as it gets, perhaps leaning even harder into the vernacular than Britney Spears. He does warn you in the preface, and he mentions his issues with an attention disorder. So, don’t be surprised if this is reminiscent of a guy sitting on a bar stool talking smack. But they’re awesome stories about really cool stuff told by a baseball legend!
Pete is an old school guy, and it shows. Get ready for a few off-color remarks. Political correctness? Not his thing. I got turned off once or twice, but it didn’t make me put down the book. (See my review of Gone with the Wind: just because I read it doesn’t mean I agree with all of it.)
I liked reading about his hardscrabble, gray-collar life in Cincinnati. He was an undersized kid with outsized dreams, fueled and supported by his tough-love parents. He was “Charlie Hustle” for that reason: he fought and scraped for every base since it was the only way to get ahead. (And I didn’t know the nickname was a derogatory one, bestowed by Yankee great Whitey Ford!) And every now and then, in the middle of some thought or reflection or memory, he pops out with some random story about Johnny Bench or Joe DiMaggio. All of this makes the chronology wild and woolly.
I also thought a few big events got glossed over. Marriage, kids, relationships don’t get much detail. I was looking forward to learning about playing in his first World Series, but nothing was there. There was, however, quite a bit of detail about his time in prison, and there he spares very little.
But I think the purpose of the book was not a detailed account of his life from start to finish (or the state of it in 2004). Rather, it pointed toward the title: why he felt like he was unfairly banned.
That’s one area where this book stands out: reasons for reinstatement. Listing it all would be a spoiler, so instead I’ll just say that in the later third, Rose gives a common-man explanation with common sense. Barack Obama he’s not, but he speaks with facts and with heart. And there’s the other good attribute: honesty and forthrightness. Sure, as other readers have said, sometimes he sounds like he’s making excuses. But mostly it’s Pete sharing as much as he can about his life, and he owns up to quite a bit.
However, one big drawback: too many errors. Oh, boy: more than a few typos. Too many misplaced dates and names (it was Chad Curtis, not Shane Spencer, who told off Jim Gray in the 1999 World Series). I’d give the editors and fact-checkers a D-minus: they knew Pete’s not a writer, so they should’ve helped him out.
But let’s respond to the title: Pete Rose should be reinstated.
For one thing, Giamatti did promise him a review, but he died before that could happen. For another, while he admits to betting on baseball, there’s no proof he fixed any games. Such a thing would be near-impossible to prove.
I got more:
• Ty Cobb was WAY worse of a person, and he’s a pillar in the HOF. • The Commissioner’s office has asked him to improve his life. Sure, he’s involved with casinos, but so what? He’s making money and doing it all legally. What’s the problem? • The damage he did through gambling was almost all self-inflicted. You could argue it affected his marriage and parenthood. But what business is that of baseball? See above (Ty Cobb). • I can’t watch ten minutes of a baseball game without some ad for legalized sports gambling. It seems to be encouraged, even celebrated. To knock Pete for the same thing seems hypocritical.
So, despite my opinion about the messy writing style, the book does its job. It’s not his personality that made him a legend. It was his skill, determination, and love of the game. He was one of the best hitters the world has ever seen.
Put him in the Hall. BEFORE he goes to the big dugout in the sky.
Yep, you guessed it: I got this book for free from someone’s table at the end of the school year. As my brother would say, “Free is for me!”
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LegYep, you guessed it: I got this book for free from someone’s table at the end of the school year. As my brother would say, “Free is for me!”
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Legal dramas were the hot thing in the 90s, and this one set that trend in motion. Budding Harvard Law graduate Mitch McDeere hits the jackpot with a wealthy firm in Memphis. Everything looks great from the outside, but soon he learns things aren’t what they seem. Some past partners or associates met untimely ends over the past twenty years or so, and he suspects foul play. He starts doing a little snooping of his own, which makes trouble for his superiors, and raises FBI suspicion. Soon he and his wife are running for their lives trying to escape contracted killers and prove the firm’s dastardly deeds.
Let’s call this more legal intrigue than crime thriller. It’s third-person omniscient, but done very well: each character gets a lot of development and their own unique perspective. For a legal novel, it also doesn’t get bogged down in too much procedure or jargon: you’ll be able to understand what’s happening. You get a sense that Mitch is a really sharp guy and there’s a reason he’s so valued.
The ins and outs of the firm, the webs they created and the crimes they commit, make for some interesting reading, but maybe not that “edge of your seat” feeling. Maybe I’m biased, but the end of any Stephanie Plum novel has a lot more zing than this. And for that reason, I thought things got resolved for Mitch a little too easily. In other words, I wasn’t scared like I might’ve been for Steph.
Also, I just couldn’t get Tom Cruise’s image out of my head. No, I haven’t seen the movie, and now…eh, probably not.
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That said, the pace is great, the plot is twisty, and the dialogue is snappy. It stands the test of time, having been released 30 years ago, and I can name several books published later that feel a lot more dated. By now it’s a classic, and for good reason: it’s good fun, a cool and interesting tale and a super-quick read. ...more
There was a major occasion in my young adult life, might have been a graduation or something, when my mother stopped me in my tracks, looked me in theThere was a major occasion in my young adult life, might have been a graduation or something, when my mother stopped me in my tracks, looked me in the eye, and said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff!” It’s true that she knows me better than I know myself, because I have been known to freak out over:
• People who chew with their mouths open • Lateness (mine or others’) • Plans that don’t work out • Some guy batting .190 not bunting with a runner on second and no outs in a tie game in extra innings in the playoffs (I swear to GOD)
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And thus, this book spoke to me.
I got a little exasperated (clearly my comprehension sucks) when I saw Chapter 84: “Lighten Up.” Easy for you to say!
But on the whole the book has wonderful, bite-size lessons for taking things less seriously. The longest chapter has four pages, and most have two. It’s plain English, written like speech (and I listened a bit to the audiobook, which was great).
Some great takeaways:
• No one will remember your problems in 100 years. • Express gratitude a lot. • Wherever you go, there you are. • Take your Type A tendencies down to B or B-minus.
I also liked that this was a handbook, almost a list I can return to daily. I could see reading one chapter a day for 100 days, then starting again until I memorize the whole thing.
I love education. But I love being FREE of education every summer even more. And at the end of the year, there’s always a table with free books just lI love education. But I love being FREE of education every summer even more. And at the end of the year, there’s always a table with free books just lying around. If I can keep from hyperventilating myself into a coma, I always pick up a few castaways. Good thing I got a bigger car this spring. And this is the kind of book you’d find at a Jesuit school like mine.
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Walter Ciszek was a Pennsylvania Jesuit priest captured by the Soviets during WWII and sent to a prison camp for fifteen years for trumped-up charge of espionage (spying for the Vatican). And when he got out, they refused to let him go home, hounding him everywhere he went for his “subversive” activity, which involved saying Mass and providing services to the faithful.
I liked hearing about Cisek’s early life: he was a “tough” and a gang member, causing trouble for his community and family. Then, one day, out of the blue, he decided to become a priest! He always had a hunkering for “the hardest thing,” so when he joined the Jesuits, he decided he’d want to work in Russia, where religion was strictly prohibited.
Once he’s arrested, get ready for a ton of detail. It can be a little exhaustive, as sometimes we get long physical descriptions of his prisons, and every step of the legendary Soviet bureaucratic processes he encounters. His religious work takes something of a pause here, but he celebrates whenever he can. What stuck with me the most about his fifteen years was the hunger: he talks a lot about never having enough to eat, and I can believe it. Later on, he adds tremendous danger and fatigue. Only occasionally does he get a respite. I had to be patient to see this connect with his spirituality.
Then, when released, something happens. He’s free, he’s spared torture and monotony and exhaustion, but he’s hounded for his ministry. He gets kicked out of each town by the KGB for continuing to meet the growing needs of his parishioners, who clamor for his help. I liked hearing that he wasn’t perfect: he shouts back at the officials trying to persecute him.
It was around that ¾ mark that he drops in the themes of “Divine Providence.” He’s been through a lot, but thanks God for protecting him, for keeping him safe. And he puts his fate in his creator’s hands. I liked this: it made the story of his eventual return to America so much sweeter.
Finally, James Martin SJ drops one of the best afterwords I’ve read in a long time. Written in his trademark, everyman style, he shares the questions and lessons we should take away from this story. Brilliant!
As I mentioned a while back, one of my goals this summer was to be more positive. I’d taken out a different book to help me, but this one got me started. It reminded me of the value of faith: to trust in a “creator,” or the universe, to protect me, to eventually set things right. His prayer for Russia at the very, very end of the book reminded me of the power of forgiveness. I’ve lately pondered what to do when I think I’ve been wronged, with things as simple as being cut off on the highway. What a saintly thing it is to assume only good from others, even when they act like jerks. What a positive thing it is to show mercy and forgiveness. I don’t think that’s exclusive to Catholics, and nor does this book make that point, either.
Religious or not, this is a book (albeit a long one) that can help anyone through strife.
This was my daughter’s summer reading assignment…or so we thought. No sooner did she finish than she learned the assignment was actually The Giver…whiThis was my daughter’s summer reading assignment…or so we thought. No sooner did she finish than she learned the assignment was actually The Giver…which she read last year. Hey, either way, she’s ahead of the game. *Swells with pride*
I’ll leave the synopsis to the publisher but suffice to say it’s about a girl about her age who enters a new, scary world. There’s a challenge and a potential loss. There are magical characters. And a magical cat.
Sold.
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I thought the early description was a bit much. But she disagreed, and I relented. The action is there, the descriptions are amazing (making the illustrations superfluous, IMHO), and I LOVED Coraline. Loved “The other world” for all its frights and oddities. Has The Phantom Tollbooth and Matilda vibes.
We wondered for a bit why this was a school assignment. On the surface, it seems to be just a great story, scary and tense and fantastical. But it’s loaded with some solid moral takeaways. It got us talking about changing one’s perspective to appreciate what one has / loves; about free will; about effort being more important than reward. Sorry if those are spoilers, but let’s see if you can pick that out of the book.
Short, but pithy, exciting, and worthy of being called a YA classic!
Seeing the title, my mind went to Liz Lemon on 30 Rock. Wasn’t that the name of the spin-off she created?
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Instead, it’s the name of the app thatSeeing the title, my mind went to Liz Lemon on 30 Rock. Wasn’t that the name of the spin-off she created?
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Instead, it’s the name of the app that coder extraordinaire Marina Spicer created. It allows the user to see reviews of people on recent dates to make sure that any negative criteria aren’t matched. In her case, it’s no smoking, no tattoos, no swearing, and an interest in starting a family. This helps her with her current job at a London activity-finding-app start-up, and she’s up for a promotion. But in walks Lucas Kennedy, a brash and handsome copywriter who thinks her idea is bollocks. The bosses then decide to pit them together in a project to see the dating or group value of a number of activities. Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, fake dating.
I probably bungled the synopsis, but surprisingly the plot doesn’t try to do too much. Just go with the “enemies” thing, because that takes center stage, and it works. Marina and Lucas are magnets circling each other. The banter is snappy and sharp. Forsythe makes it abundantly clear that Lucas ticks every dealbreaker on Marina’s list, but the attraction comes through in subtle, fun little ways. The scenes are terrific, clear, and relatable. Yes, Marina’s super-picky, but that didn’t put me off.
The ancillary characters do well to complement the FMC’s story. They have little backstories that don’t go into too much detail, but it’s clear they’re there to provide perspective and direction to her. Again, with so many side quests (Adam, the ex; Mum, the nudgy mother; Meera, the flighty BFF), there could be a tendency to leave things unfinished. But it all funneled into Marina’s insecurity, giving her reasons to consider.
I can see what some reviewers are saying: the pacing sometimes feels slow. That’s because Marina engages in long inner monologues and reflections. Once or twice, it interrupts a conversation (a quote, four paragraphs of thought, then a response; and I have to switchback to remember the flow of the talk). That said, it’s written simply and down-to-earth, so you can finish in no time. Lastly, no spice here: it’s “fade-to-black.” Fine by me, but others might be disappointed.
But the message is clear: plans are meant to be broken. You can wait for the perfect partner, but going with the flow works too. Marina and Lucas work that out beautifully, in a funny, cute, and accessible way.
Here’s another reason why my parents demonstrated good judgement: I never visited Action Park. Of course, this could’ve been because they, like any saHere’s another reason why my parents demonstrated good judgement: I never visited Action Park. Of course, this could’ve been because they, like any sane person, simply didn’t want to pay seven admission tickets or supervise five children across a sprawling them park. And I didn’t help matters, having proven my affinity for daring/stupid stunts, including sledding down the entirety of the steepest street in our Yonkers neighborhood in a blizzard (and I’d have made it, too, if it weren’t for that darn stone wall). Call it frugality, call it overprotectiveness: I dodged a bullet, and I’m here to tell the tale.
Choose a nickname, but I like “Traction Park” best. We all knew about the accidents, and even deaths, of that lawless zoo in North Jersey, and those I’d known to have partaken did indeed have scars to prove it. Mulvihill, son of the park’s founder, tells the story through a journalist in a memoir style. He’d done it all, from digging ditches for the Alpine Slide, to head of the Wave (pool) Patrol, to general manager. It opens with his attempt to survive his father’s latest slide idea: the Cannonball Loop.
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From that, I got the theme: Action Park was the wild, crazed dream of a guy who didn’t believe in limits. Safety wasn’t exciting, wouldn’t sell tickets. Besides, skiing philosophy of the time seemed to indicate that if you hit a tree and died, it was your fault for having poor skills. You assumed the risk. Problem was, as Mulvihill hints, his father pushed the risk barometer as high as it got. Much of the book focuses of the son fretting about injuries and death and being waved away by his dad.
The author also comments often about the culture fostered by the park: screw the rules. He indicates that guests were crazy and rarely abided the attendants’ and lifeguards’ admonishments. People would (and could) jump into the Wave Pool at any depth without knowing how to swim. They’d take the go-karts for a spin, and NOT stop when their allotted laps were up. They’d ram the speedboats into each other, capsize, and have to be dragged from the oil-streaked lake (because they couldn’t swim). I was a lifeguard at a public pool in college, and I know the feeling: something about the late eighties/early nineties inspired a sense of anarchy among park visitors. I suppose, then, that the carnage was partially THEIR fault, although the owner’s disregard for safety sure didn’t help.
I watched the HBO documentary just after reading, and there’s quite a difference. Mulvihill himself speaks, but only sporadically. That story is more driven by park visitors and people affected by the park’s problems. Among them are the aged parents of a guest who died on the Alpine Slide at age 19 in 1980. There’s also a sense from the interviewed guests that communicates “Hey, this is Jersey. S--- happens.” Where have I heard that before?
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Might be worth it to look at both the book AND the doc and absorb the full view of the place. Mulvihill paints his dad in a sympathetic view near the end, and while he criticizes him for his reckless management, falls short of condemning him. Sometimes I wonder if another man might have walked away from the business, knowing what he knows about how his father managed it. But that IS an awful lot to ask of a son. It might also be true that in the seventies and eighties, there might have been less outrage about theme park violence: the place, and its style of “you control the action,” was a brand-new thing. There were no real, hard-and-fast rules to break. Sure, in 2024 even a few major accidents would close a theme park. But in 1980?
Either way, this book offers an interesting combination: heartfelt nostalgia and cringeworthy journalism. The reader can pine away from a lost era of wild rides and nutty behavior, and wipe their brow in relief, knowing there’ll never be another Action Park.
Probably true of a lot of you, too. We’ve been doing whatever for umpteen years, overworked / underappreciated, swamped at alShe had me at the title.
Probably true of a lot of you, too. We’ve been doing whatever for umpteen years, overworked / underappreciated, swamped at all times, frustrated by upper / middle management. That’s the scenario for Sasha Worth, marketing agent at a London tech start-up. She loses it in a funny little way and is sent on a mental health holiday to her favorite childhood getaway: the Rilston.
But it’s February, and the Rilston has seen better days. And in the midst of her mental and physical cleanse at this nearly abandoned resort, one handsome but troubled man gets in her way: Finn, himself ostracized from work due to unruly behavior. They try to avoid each other, but soon enough they have no choice but to fight for the meditation rock while trying to stay Zen and recharged.
Sasha’s relatable for the reasons listed above. She’s also smart, funny, and clever. Her narrative is good: down-to-earth but smart. Her flaws make her funny and human. I also liked her friends and mum, and Finn complements her well. Kinsella does well to make the hotel staff and surf proprietors come to life, too. They’re vibrant, enjoyable, likeable. I liked the underdog story that is the Rilston: rundown but hopeful for former glory (or a sale).
Sasha also shares some nice memories of the surfing teacher she had as a kid, memories coincidentally shared by Finn. It’s a metaphor for staying focused on what’s important. You can look at this any way you want, even cynically, but if you keep it positive it’ll make you smile. Rom-com books tend toward the “Mega Happy Ending” a la Wayne’s World, and this is no exception. (And I have no qualms about this resembling the spoiler, but I’ll spare you the details.) That said, the realizations and rewards happen earlier in this book than I’d have wanted. I was seeking more tension at the 3/4 mark, but many things had been resolved, making the last 80 pages or so something of a victory lap. However, why not have things work out as Sasha would’ve wanted? After all, she’s smart and motivated, so she can make good stuff happen for herself. Again, look at this pessimistically if you must, but my limited experience with the rom-com genre tells me that’s not the way to go.
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An aside: choosing the latest release of a modern-lit titan like Kinsella is like saying Steel Wheels is the signature Rolling Stones. Probably should go back to Confessions of a Shopaholic, but shopping makes me cranky. What do you think?
Finally, I wish only the best for the author in her battle with cancer. Hasn’t seemed to stop her from cranking out hit after hit. Please join me in hoping for her good health.
The multiverse is all the rage these days. The Midnight Library, Spiderman, and my seventy-four closest clones. You can try to understand the quantum The multiverse is all the rage these days. The Midnight Library, Spiderman, and my seventy-four closest clones. You can try to understand the quantum physics and sprain your prefrontal cortex, or you can just assume it all works and climb aboard for the ride. The combination of the two is what makes Blake Crouch perhaps my favorite sci-fi author since Ray Bradbury.
Writing a proper synopsis is beyond my twelfth-grade understanding of math, so let’s start with this: Jason Dessen, middling college physics professor, has a perfect life with his wife Daniela and his son Charlie just outside Chicago. One night, a man in a mask abducts and drugs him. When he comes to, he’s in some advanced lab…and in a new life. In this one, he’s invented some portal to the multiverse, an idea he’d considered but never completed fifteen years ago, when he got married and had a child. He's gripped with a desire to return to them, so he makes his way back through the box he created and across the multiverse to find them.
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True to Crouch-ian form, every moment is exciting. OK, when he attempts to explain how the box works…poof. I got nothing. I understand a little, but when I found myself getting foggy, I thought, “Can I just say, ‘it’s a machine that works,’ and enjoy myself?” The answer: absolutely yes.
He uses lots of one-word sentences and real-life dialogue, even with award-winning physicists as characters. There’s the danger of making them one-dimensional, but there’s a realism and approachability here. Everyone has a vulnerability and unique characteristics (ironic, given the book’s material). Even better, the characters get more interesting the deeper Dessen dives into the multiverse. I loved how he sees Daniela and even himself in very different versions of themselves.
That’s the beauty of this work: there’s diving away from gunshots, there’s fighting, and there’s even destruction. But at its heart, the book seems to be about what could’ve been, what it is we want from life, and all the myriad possibilities in all the parallel universes. There’s another danger in getting lost in philosophical reflection or scientific explanations of what this all means, but Crouch again dodges the bullet (yes! Pun! Get it? 'cuz it's a thriller? Hello?). Instead of boring us to tears with what he thinks, he puts Dessen in danger. We get adventure, not ideas. A roller coaster, not a lecture.
I got vibes of the movie The Adjustment Bureau, the book The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Homer Simpson’s journey through time. “I wish I wish I hadn’t killed that fish.”
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It's a phenomenal beach read, a buzzy book you can fly through in no time at all and won’t want to put down. 4.5 stars! ...more
• Be more positive • Eat more fruits and vegetables • Write 500 words per day (reviews count) • And of course…finish tAmong my several goals this summer:
• Be more positive • Eat more fruits and vegetables • Write 500 words per day (reviews count) • And of course…finish the saga of Stephanie Plum
I had a long trip coming up, so I packed this one in my bag for the flight. Knocked it out in a few days. (That’s not a jab at Delta, BTW: everything was on time. I just don’t like any of their movies.)
This might be my favorite premise so far. Connie is held for ransom by anonymous kidnappers who believe Vinnie has a valuable coin someone traded for a bond. Steph goes on a wild goose chase with all the familiars to find it. I didn’t think she bent the rules all that much to justify the title, but Morelli suggests she’s off-book. I trust him, so OK.
The humor, the action, the spice all seemed to click here. No Diesel to distract our heroine, just the usual balance between Ranger and Morelli. Crazy Grandma Bella takes a bigger role here, and I loved it! She even helps with a takedown! But don’t get the wrong idea: she still thinks Steph is a…ahem. Well.
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I thought the chase and wrap-up were fun and just tense enough. I liked the crime they solved, and it was really a team effort. I still kinda miss the bumbling Steph, though, messing up takedowns and getting covered in molasses or something. But the bounty hunter that mixes a solid capture with a little fried hair or animal droppings works well, too. Makes me like her even more.
A note to Lorelei King: Forgive me, for I forswore the audio version for the first time in Plum History. I read it almost entirely in the airport, so there was no need for the audiobook. Fear not: I promise to continue with the next.
And speaking of the next…I’m so close! Only Dirty Thirty remains. (Yes, I know, I haven’t read the “Between the Numbers” books; give me a break. I'll get to them.) See you in Trenton!
In a somewhat dystopian future, a DC couple grieving the tragic loss of their adult son heads to a protest of oil-favoring environmental laws downtownIn a somewhat dystopian future, a DC couple grieving the tragic loss of their adult son heads to a protest of oil-favoring environmental laws downtown. Julian, a professor at Gettysburg College, is arrested and taken into custody. In the fracas, a mysterious man hands his wife, Anita, a one-time tech exec, a list of names to contact for help to find him, and urges her to disappear. One of the contacts leads her to a bed and breakfast in Newport, RI, operated by a secretly brilliant physicist with a revolutionary idea for clean energy. But soon the bad guys, set in motion by an evil oil tycoon, close in. They want to eliminate both the energy idea and anyone associated with it. Soon Anita contends with a violent, ruthless private investigator intent on making a name for himself in this frightening new world.
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It's the kind of book that’ll make you clean your carbon footprint! Not only are the ideals for a carbon-free world there, but the actions to make it happen are also clearer than I’ve ever seen. For me, these are common-sense, but I was happy to hear the movement get some attention and description. Anita and Paul (the B&B owner / scientist), among others, share their vision in a very natural way, through dialogue and action. Sure, there’s an agenda here, and yeah, if you’re not a “green” person, you probably don’t bother with this. But if you have even a small interest in environmentalism, this is your book.
The action is swift and non-stop. There’s something happening on just about every page, nothing lost in inner monologue or thought. Mostly it’s told from Anita’s POV, although we often get a look inside the bad guy’s heads. That’s not as strong a narrative, as to me they seemed not so realistic. But I liked Anita: she makes for a good underdog protagonist.
The plot and storyline are interesting, not often bogged down in explanation, a pitfall into which other science or spy books often fall. It’s clean, easy to understand, and there aren’t any loose ends to tie. I enjoyed the chase to find Julian and the attempts to break him out. That said, I came across several moments I found hard to believe. The PI (Mike) struck me as amateurish, and some of Anita’s choices stretched the imagination a smidge. I liked the ending, but there were aspects that drew an incredulous grin. Perhaps it’s unfair, as I compare it to the seamless, polished, veteran styles of Frederick Forsyth, John le Carré, Ken Follett, and Stieg Larsson(of the “Millenium” / The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series). But it has all the elements of a good thriller, and I ended with a REAL smile on my face, happy the story caught my interest for a few days.
The Shutdown List looks like Dukett’s first foray into this genre, and she gets points for an intense, intricate story, even with its minor flaws. It has all the edge-of-your seat action you want, while at the same time advocating for a cleaner, happier world. It makes for a great, quick, and fun beach read.
Thank you to NetGalley and SharKen Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The Shutdown List is available June 18, 2024.
An Open Letter to Janet Evanovich, Author of the Stephanie Plum Series
Dear Ms. Evanovich,
I admit it. I started this journey for the most pathetic of rAn Open Letter to Janet Evanovich, Author of the Stephanie Plum Series
Dear Ms. Evanovich,
I admit it. I started this journey for the most pathetic of reasons. But given your seeming affinity for the common woman/man, I think you’ll understand.
I got it for free.
Yes, I needed something to read, and I was on a budget. I went to the library and got the ebook. (Does it help that I’m saving for my daughter’s college tuition?)
Of course, I’d heard about a young Trenton woman who bumbled her way into a job as a bounty hunter. I was on the hunt for a new series of books, having completed and loved the D’Artagnan Romances (Alexandre Dumas) some time before.
Stephanie Plum won me over from the very first page. I’d been there: broke (or close to it), scared, at wit’s end. I’d started a career that was way over my head.
That’s what drew me in. Steph was me. Or, she was who I wanted to be. I wanted the danger, the risk, the romance. I made things happen with mostly luck and my friends’ help, and a small spot of bravado. Her stories were what I aspire to write: accessible, down-to-earth, fun. I kept coming back, whenever the books came off the library queue.
The characters became like family. Their quirks and habits became familiar. I could name them and say what they might do. They felt like friends: Lula, Connie, Vinnie, Mooner, Klaughn, Grandma Mazur, Diggery.
And Trenton became like home. The bonds office, the funeral home, the bakery, Stark Street. The Burg. I felt like I could wander into the Plum house and get a plate of roast chicken and a slice of pineapple upside down cake.
And the Ranger/Morelli debate. Stephanie loves them both, and with good reason. They’ve helped her, they’ve teased her, they’ve…provided the spice. What do I think? Who should she choose?
I say: Keep her choosing.
Because if she can’t choose, the story keeps going. Looks like I’ve reached the end (sort of) but thank goodness there’s more to come. Now or Never: Thirty-One on the Run comes out in November, and I’ve already ordered my copy. And I’m DYING to know what the outcome of the best cliffhanger in the series (from Dirty Thirty) will be.
All of this is the mark of a great writer: she tells a great story, she creates lovable characters, she writes it on my level, she keeps me wanting more. Please keep bringing Stephanie back, year after year, as long as you can.
Also, please keep bringing back Stephanie’s voice, Lorelei King. She’s like an old friend by now. She’s enhanced dozens of long runs and so many otherwise dreary commutes. No one does it better. Thank you, Lorelei.
You’ve forced me to forsake my cheapskate ways and actually buy the books. I have about five left to complete the collection. That’s how much it means to me. I hope one day you’ll sign one or two.
Thank you so much for thirty years of joy. I hope to enjoy thirty more.
As advertised, I laughed out loud many times, but without spitting out my coffee. Irby comments on pop culture, 911, book publishing, and a WHOLE LOT As advertised, I laughed out loud many times, but without spitting out my coffee. Irby comments on pop culture, 911, book publishing, and a WHOLE LOT of bodily functions. It’s self-deprecation at its finest. Yeah, grossy-gross to the max, but even I found myself identifying with her. Really funny stuff. ...more
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