Hi friends! As this reading year comes to an end for me, I want to share a few books that I enjoyed but did not get around to writing full review posts for. You might have seen them mentioned in the wrap up posts that Ariel and I have been compiling every month and now it is time for more details. There are 5 picks for Fiction and Non-Fiction so let’s dive right into their reviews.
Fiction Quick Reviews
Winter by Marissa Meyer
Princess Winter is admired for her grace, kindness and beauty, despite the scars on her face. She’s said to be even more breath-taking than her stepmother, Queen Levana…When Winter develops feelings for the handsome palace guard, Jacin, she fears the evil Queen will crush their romance before it has a chance to begin.But there are stirrings against the Queen across the land. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even find the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter claim their happily ever afters by defeating Levana once and for all?
The mindblowing conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles, I wish I had written about this one in detail. I started the Lunar Chronicles in an audiobook format and am glad I chose that format for the finale. This was so enjoyable and tense that after page 300, it was hard to put down. I loved how the stories of all the characters meshed together and also how they related to the original fairy tales. The whole series is binge worthy and I hope to reread it one day!
Related reviews: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress.
The Taster by V. S. Alexander
In early 1943, Magda Ritter’s parents send her to relatives in Bavaria, hoping to keep her safe from the Allied bombs strafing Berlin. Young German women are expected to do their duty–working for the Reich or marrying to produce strong, healthy children. After an interview with the civil service, Magda is assigned to the Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat. Only after weeks of training does she learn her assignment: she will be one of several young women tasting the Fuhrer’s food, offering herself in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned.
Perched high in the Bavarian Alps, the Berghof seems worlds away from the realities of battle. Though terrified at first, Magda gradually becomes used to her dangerous occupation–though she knows better than to voice her misgivings about the war. But her love for a conspirator within the SS, and her growing awareness of the Reich’s atrocities, draw Magda into a plot that will test her wits and loyalty in a quest for safety, freedom, and ultimately, vengeance.
Vividly written and ambitious in scope, The Taster examines the harrowing moral dilemmas of war in an emotional story filled with acts of extraordinary courage.
This was a buddy read with Charlie at Peaches Book Club and while it had a promising premise, we weren’t super fans. We enjoyed the vivid imagery and reading a book with the German protagonists who worked so closely with Hitler. The romance however felt forced. As a taster for Hitler and someone who did not believe in the party and its ideals, we were expecting a strong and small girl who would poison Hitler and give it a good shot. Since we had read The nightingale together, we kept coming back to that book.
I mention The taster here because it was a thoughtful book. Not the best executed but definitely bringing up tough questions like can you judge a person by one act? And what happens when you get to know them in a better light?
Related reviews: The Nightingale, The Children’s train.
Letters Across the Sea by Genevieve Graham
If you’re reading this letter, that means I’m dead. I had obviously hoped to see you again, to explain in person, but fate had other plans.
1933
At eighteen years old, Molly Ryan dreams of becoming a journalist, but instead she spends her days working any job she can to help her family through the Depression crippling her city. The one bright spot in her life is watching baseball with her best friend, Hannah Dreyfus, and sneaking glances at Hannah’s handsome older brother, Max.
But as the summer unfolds, more and more of Hitler’s hateful ideas cross the sea and “Swastika Clubs” and “No Jews Allowed” signs spring up around Toronto, a city already simmering with mass unemployment, protests, and unrest. When tensions between the Irish and Jewish communities erupt in a riot one smouldering day in August, Molly and Max are caught in the middle, with devastating consequences for both their families.
1939
Six years later, the Depression has eased and Molly is a reporter at her local paper. But a new war is on the horizon, putting everyone she cares about most in peril. As letters trickle in from overseas, Molly is forced to confront what happened all those years ago, but is it too late to make things right?
From the desperate streets of Toronto to the embattled shores of Hong Kong, Letters Across the Sea is a poignant novel about the enduring power of love to cross dangerous divides even in the darkest of times—from the #1 bestselling author of The Forgotten Home Child.
This is my second book by the author and I raved about The Forgotten Home Child earlier in the year. I love learning about Canadian history through these books and it was fascinating to read about the riots at Christie Pits in Toronto in 1933. Leading up to the Second World War, attitudes towards Jews in Canada weren’t positive and it was eye-opening to learn about how far influences went even without social media. The challenges that Molly and Max faced due to their differing religious upbringings and the atmosphere of the time set an engaging and emotional storyline for the book.
Molly is an aspiring journalist. At just eighteen years of age, she has realized the influence that the media has on her and that the true story isn’t always covered by all news sources. The Christie Pits incident is a great example of her experience differing with what the news reported. I loved her as a protagonist! Max’s side of the story as a Canadian soldier in Hong Kong was also educational and the notes at the end of the book were helpful in seeing how the fictional storyline matched real life. Genevieve concludes with: “Learning about these men has added another dimension to that day of remembrance for me, and I hope it has for you as well”. This has indeed been the case for me. As an immigrant, I would not be able to get this just by reading history, even if I knew where to start. The personal connection with people, even fictional, goes a long way in building my knowledge.
Related reviews: The Forgotten Home Child, The Children’s train, The Mountains Sing.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
We all have stories we never tell.Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.
Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.
This was a well-written suspense novel that I could not put down! I really liked the main character, Hannah, and her relationship with her step-daughter, Bailey, forms an important part of the narrative. The underlying story of who her husband, Owen, was and why he disappeared leads them on a journey from the small California town to Austin, Texas. I loved the backstories of all the characters and how well Hannah knew Owen. She never wavers through the story and I admired her for her courage and dexterity.
Infinite Universe by Lyndon Radchenka, Steven Kaul (illustrator)
It’s the end of life on Earth.
For generations, humans have waged war among themselves and destroyed their planet in the process. Recognizing their impending doom, they’ve made a final effort to survive by leaving Earth.
A team of explorers, genetically enhanced for space travel, have been tasked with searching the galaxy for a planet that can sustain human life. What they discover will leave them with answers to the questions humanity has always pondered.
What else is out there?
Are we alone in the universe?
Infinite Universe is a science-fiction action-adventure story that strikes the heart of what it means to be human.
Infinite Universe is a thoughtful book exploring humanity far away from Earth. Are genetically advanced humans still humans? What does the responsibility of finding a new planet, a new home for the species, look like?
The art in this book portrays the tension of the plot very well. I liked tuning in to the thoughts of the various characters and what they think of their mission. The bigger question of whether something else is out there and if there is intelligent life, will we even have the patience to communicate and understand it was a fascinating perspective that I enjoyed reading about.
Thank you so much to Lyndon for providing me a complimentary digital copy of this book for an honest review. There is so much packed in this graphic novel and I enjoyed every panel, every emotion and every action sequence.
Non-Fiction Quick Reviews
What We Carry: A Memoir by Maya Shanbhag Lang
In caring for her aging mother and her own young daughter, writer Maya Shanbhag Lang–“a new voice of the highest caliber” (Rebecca Makkai)–confronts the legacy of family myths and how the stories shared between parents and children reverberate through generations: a deeply moving memoir about immigrants and their native-born children, the complicated love between mothers and daughters, and the discovery of strength.
How much can you judge another woman’s choices? What if that woman is your mother?
Maya Shanbhag Lang grew up idolizing her brilliant mother, an accomplished physician who immigrated to the United States from India and completed her residency, all while raising her children and keeping a traditional Indian home. She had always been a source of support–until Maya became a mother herself. Then, the parent who had once been so capable and attentive turned unavailable and distant. Struggling to understand this abrupt change while raising her own young child, Maya searches for answers and soon learns that her mother is living with Alzheimer’s.
When Maya steps in to care for her, she comes to realize that despite their closeness, she never really knew her mother. Were her cherished stories–about life in India, about what it means to be an immigrant, about motherhood itself–even true? Affecting, raw, and poetic, What We Carry is the story of a daughter and her mother, of lies and truths, of receiving and giving care–and how we cannot grow up until we fully understand the people who raised us.
This is an unforgettable book and I wish had taken better notes to summarize how this book made me feel. In Indian culture it is common for children to take care of their parents. That is how this tale begins. Maya learns that her mother has alzheimers and she decides to take care of her. As her mom advances in memory loss, Maya questions what she thinks of her mother and the time they spent together and if she never really knew her at all. I loved the contrast between Maya and her brother who has a deeper Indian connection having grown up there.
The book starts with a story about a woman crossing the river. She has a terrible choice in front of her. She can take her child with her, but there is a good chance both of them will not survive. Or she can leave her child on the side of the river and herself survive. As the person hearing the story, it is so easy to judge the woman and speculate on what she would choose, what is the right choice and what she should do. The following is a short excerpt from the book and I hope that it will stay with you, as it did with me.
“We do not know the outcome,” she told me. “We do not know what the woman in the river chooses. Until we are in the river up to our shoulders – until we are in that position ourselves, we cannot know the answer. We tell ourselves we will sacrifice ourselves for our children but the will to live is very strong.”
Her words astonished me. A woman choosing for herself! The mere possibility felt audacious!
“We must not judge,” my mom continued. “That is the real lesson of the story. Whatever a woman decides, it is not easy.”
This wasn’t how my mother usually spoke. She had sacrificed everything for her children, a fact she liked to allude to as often as possible. Hearing her acknowledge maternal selfishness was jarring strangely though, it comforted me.
From What We Carry
What we carry is not just about caring for a parent. It is about being a parent. It is about being a caregiver. It is about growing up and seeing our past for what it really was. I will come back to this book again and again for sure.
Related reviews: What we carry (fiction)
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.
Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.
What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant, and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling the world’s wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith, and human nature while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its listeners.
Clinton and I admire Jordan Peterson for a number of reasons. He is an extraordinary speaker and thinker. We like the way he frames his thoughts and presents them in live discussions. His views on belief systems, wealth, societal problems have kept us company for many evenings and we have all his books, some read, some half read. I started reading 12 Rules for Life with Clinton maybe two years ago and when we heard Peterson was coming out with a sequel this year, we decided to focus and finish. Since it was such a long read, I am not counting it as one of my read books.
When I feel troubled, I pick up 12 rules and I am in the process of reading it very slowly. It gave me solace when I was dealing with losing employment in particular. I also love Peterson’s thoughts on happiness and how they link to goals, and that is one of the reasons I make it a point to set goals for myself, no matter how mundane they might seem. I do not know if this is from the book or I paraphrased it: “We experience much of our positive emotion in relation to goals. We are not happy, technically speaking, unless we see ourselves progressing – and the very idea of progression implies value.”
Related reviews: High Conflict
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel
For so many people, reading isn’t just a hobby or a way to pass the time–it’s a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can’t imagine life without them.
I’d Rather Be Reading is the perfect literary companion for everyone who feels that way. In this collection of charming and relatable reflections on the reading life, beloved blogger and author Anne Bogel leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today.
Known as a reading tastemaker through her popular podcast What Should I Read Next?, Bogel invites book lovers into a community of like-minded people to discover new ways to approach literature, learn fascinating new things about books and publishing, and reflect on the role reading plays in their lives.
The perfect gift for the bibliophile in everyone’s life, I’d Rather Be Reading will command an honored place on the overstuffed bookshelves of any book lover.
This is such an inspirational book that it will forever stay with me. It had recommendations for books but also bookshelf arrangements… all the stuff bookworms talk about. I savoured each chapter and have something to say about it, whether it is sharing memories or coming up with a list of books. Highly recommended to all book lovers! I had planned on doing individual posts on my favorite chapters and I might still do that at some point. 🙂
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.
There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.
Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.
Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.
Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.
I hadn’t thought about breath until I read this book. Covering the aspects of physical and societal evolution, this is a super informative book about breathing techniques, our lifestyle, ailments and more. I learned about how breathing practices are shared across cultures and the small things I can do to breathe better and maybe live longer.
I still use the techniques mentioned in Breath to help me sleep better and breathe deeply months after reading it. The audiobook has guided breathing exercises at the end which were helpful in getting started. Highly recommended!
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are by Danny Gregory
Packed with the signature can-do attitude that makes beloved artist Danny Gregory a creativity guru to thousands across the globe, this unique guide serves up a hearty helping of inspiration. For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can’t seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5– to 10–minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule—whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table—along with practical instruction on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that’s exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory’s encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.
This was such a fun book to read! Danny explains the difference between doing art and being a professional artist. He encourages readers to draw everyday things and try all sorts of mediums. I love art and I don’t diligently do it everyday but he has some good suggestions on how to make it a habit, while not worrying so much about how it looks. This is an illustrated book, a feast for the eyes, and I learned so much that I can apply it to my digital art. 🙂
I hope you got some good recommendations from this post! The next few days are packed with content with our horror post and monthly wrap-up. I will also be sharing my review for my year 27 and what’s in store for reading and the blog next month onwards. 🙂
[…] world, that I did not know about and then led me to another side of Canadian and Jewish history, Letters Across the Sea. I look forward to catching up on Genevieve backlist and latest […]