Andi's Bookshelf

A place to indulge in my love of all things books.

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Book Review: Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman Harper Lee

Once again, I appear to be in the minority on this. I LOVED GSAW. I am not the least bit angry that much beloved TKAMB characters were not portrayed in the same way (or at all). I've heard different things about the origins of this book. Everything from it being the original book Lee wanted to publish that was turned down by publishers in favor of something more exciting, to it being part of a planned trilogy. Whatever the original intent, I chose to approach it as a separate entity and not a sequel to TKAMB. So, what I found was a snarky, strong, independent female protagonist who comes into her own over the course of 278 pages. Paraphrasing something I read in an article I can no longer recall, TKAMB shows the ideal of what should be, GSAW shows the reality of what was. It was brutal, it didn't pull punches, and it didn't shy away from certain truths. And, none of that addresses the writing, which itself was beautiful and accessible. GSAW has easily become one of my favorites.

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Book Review: The Festival of Insignificance

The Festival of Insignificance Milan Kundera

Delightful in its significance and insignificance.

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Book Review: The Affairs of Others

The Affairs of Others Amy Grace Loyd Kathe Mazur - Narrator

For a very large portion of the book, what kept me going was listening to Kathe Mazur narrate. It wasn't until the book was nearly over that I felt any sort of compulsion to find out how it would develop and ultimately end. It's not one I'll be recommending to others, but it was enjoyable enough to listen to while driving.

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Book Review: The Deadlands

The Dead Lands Benjamin Percy

Calling this a "thriller" is generous. "Adventure" seems to be stretching it a bit as well. I didn't hate the book, but that's mostly because it would have had to evoke more feeling in me than it did. It passed the time, but nothing more. I can see why others really enjoyed it, however. It just wasn't for me.

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Book Review: The Knockoff

The Knockoff Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

Not normally a book I'd choose, I put this one on hold at the library after hearing it was witty and funny...a perfect summer read. Having just read a really involving Big-Book sci-fi novel, this was a good transition book for me, as nothing I read after BB was going to measure up. The book was much as you'd expect it to be, no more and no less.

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Book Review: Seveneves

Seveneves Neal Stephenson

861 pages was not nearly enough! I want (at least) 2 more parts, one inserted between current parts 2 and 3 and one added to the end. Or better yet, give me another part inserted between 2 and 3 and second book with another 861 pages picking up where 'Seveneves' leaves off. This book was INCREDIBLE. It was as if Andy Weir's 'The Martian' meets Ron D Moore's Battlestar Galactica and is then threaded through an amazing framework of Stepehenson's own creation that results in a truly stunning work of fiction that looks at the best and worst of what we know as humanity. It's science and politics and psychology and sociology all artfully arranged in a striking narrative that has left me wanting more of this world to wrap myself in.

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Book Review: The Girl at Midnight #1

The Girl at Midnight Melissa Grey

I absolutely loved this book. From the very first page, I knew it was going to be something wonderful and proceeded to fall in love with the story, the characters and the writing with each page I turned. I cannot wait until book two is published so I can continue the journey.

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Book Review: The Green Road

The Green Road Anne Enright

I didn't find much in this book to either love or hate. It was a rather typical literary fiction family saga novel. The writing was above average, and the characters hit or miss with the level of interest they sparked for me. It wasn't a bad way to spend 310 pages, but I didn't think it was extraordinary in any way.

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Book Review: Unabrow

Unabrow: Misadventures of a Late Bloomer Una Lamarche

I laughed my way through the entire book. There was SO much here that I could relate to. Una is only a month older than I am and I spent most of the book going, "YES! I remember that," and then simultaneously laughing and cringing.

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Book Review: Magonia #1

Magonia Maria Dahvana Headley

I don't even know where to begin to describe this book. It is one of the most unique 'verses I've ever come across. It's truly bizarre, wholly wonderful, and flat out weird. I read that there is to be a sequel next spring, and I'm looking forward to visiting this strange and enchanting place once again.

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Book Review: Headscarves and Hymens

Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution Mona Eltahawy

Disbelief. Anger. Sadness. Rage. But also...Hope. Admiration. Determination. This book evoked all of these things in me. The stories of all the women mentioned, including the assault, torture, and imprisonment of the author, for daring to live while being female, is horrifying. And these are only the stories that have been told. For each of these stories there are thousands more that have never been given a voice. Either the victims are too scared or shamed to share them, or they simply no longer have a voice because they died simply because they were female. I can't help but wonder how people can stand idly by while police are called to the scene of a burning girl's school, not to help with evacuation, but to stop the girls from leaving the building because they weren't veiled...where firefighters are prevented from helping because men are forbidden to approach women? How can people accept women being arrested and subjected to "virginity exams?" How can people tolerate laws allowing rapists to avoid punishment by marrying their victims? How is it acceptable for our country to dismiss these practices under the banner of "respecting cultural traditions", a position often taken by the left. How is it acceptable to create an atmosphere where women are afraid to speak out for fear of fueling Islamaphobia and retribution against ALL Muslims, a typical right-wing response. Where is the outrage? Where is the demand for change? Using what is happening to these women as political fodder to advance an agenda and standing idly by is no better than the men who are physically responsible for perpetrating these crimes against women. Change-real, lasting, meaningful change, has to come from EVERYwhere, and that means holding people accountable for their misogynistic behaviors on all levels. From the officials at the top all the way down to the street gropers at the bottom. It's not just "their" problem. It's everyone's problem and everyone needs to be a part of the solution.

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Book Review: None of the Above

None of the Above I. W. Gregoria

This is one of the best books I've read this year. I was interrupted mid-chapter very early in the book and had to put it down. When the interruption was over, I planned to finish the chapter and turn in for the night, but I just didn't want to put it down. At some point I gave up the pretense of "just one more chapter" and read straight through to the end, sometime around 3AM. It was completely worth stumbling around like a zombie the next day. The plot was fairly predictable, but that didn't matter. What did matter were the characters. Watching Kristin deal with her intersex diagnosis and the reactions of the characters around her is what made this book just that damn good.

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Book Review: The Light of the World

The Light of the World Elizabeth Alexander

Painfully beautiful. I was not familiar with Ms. Alexander or her husband before reading this, but it was recommended to me for its beautiful narrative. It did not disappoint.

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Book Review: How I Shed My Skin

How I Shed My Skin: Unlearning the Lessons of a Racist Childhood Jim Grimsley

Race and racism have been on a lot of people's minds recently. One only has to turn on the news or any social media to see that as far as we've come, we have so much farther to go. I was very interested in reading this book because I, too, was raised in a way that laid down the foundation for racist thoughts and reactions. I've managed to deprogram myself, but some traces of it linger and that makes me sad and angry at the people who laid that foundation. I'm deeply ashamed that in that half-second between an event and my higher thinking kicking in, a trace of that programming lingers. It bothers me a great deal, and it has become a high priority that in raising my son, that programming is not installed. I am much younger than Jim Grimsley, so I did not live through desegregation/integration, but many of the things he writes about struggling with internally are familiar to me.

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Book Review: God Help the Child

God Help the Chld Toni Morrison

The difference between this book and the last book I read, which also contained multiple points of view, childhood traumas, and the affects these traumas have on adults is Toni Morrison, or more precisely Toni Morrison's gift with words. I think this novel has serious flaws, but I also think I don't care. It also has serious truths and is written in such a way that flaws or virtues simply don't matter; I just wanted to immerse myself in the writing. It also makes me ask why I haven't read more Toni Morrison.

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Book Review: I Refuse

I Refuse Per Petterson

The subtitle for 'I Refuse' should be 'to finish writing the story.' I was unimpressed with the abrupt ending and the random chapters from minor character's points of view. I get that this is literary fiction, but it all just seemed so pointless to me. I definitely will not be recommending this book to others.

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Book Reivew: Orhan’s Inhertiance

Orhan’s Inhertiance Aline Ohanesian

I specifically chose to read 'Orhan's Inheritance' to learn more about a time and a place I know little about. It was a good choice. It's a solid 4-star book in my opinion. The thing that kept me from giving it a full 5-star rating was a lack of complete connection with the characters and the story. Perhaps the reason is that the story was told from multiple perspectives. [I had a similar feeling with another book I read recently that was told through multiple narrators, 'Inside the O'Briens' by Lisa Genova.] But, whatever the reason, I didn't find myself as much invested in the characters as curious about them and how their lives were interwoven. I wanted to know how things fit together more than I fell deeply into the narrative, which was disappointing. It was interesting to have the story told from dual, opposing perspectives, however. Even when I have an opinion about something, I find it helpful and even necessary to consider that something from multiple perspectives to help me understand it and reexamine my opinion to confirm it was formed on solid ground. Nothing in this book makes me see what happened to the Armenians (and other similar groups in the Ottoman Empire) in 1915 as anything but genocide. I didn't honestly think it would, having been written by the descendant of an Armenian survivor, but it was appreciated that the Turkish perspective was included.