Week Four: Goodreads

Thoughts on Goodreads:

The Goodreads recommendations based on my shelves and to read list resulted in many not very appealing recommendations. Based on my fondness for Octavia Butler it recommended I read the African Immortals series which based on the title covers one of the few sci-fi areas I do not enjoy, i.e. rituals leading to never ending life. After spending some time exploring and updating my shelves, the generated recommendations did not improve. It seemed it got better selecting books I had no interest in reading. I have never used Goodreads to recommend books previously. I had seen the generated recommendations but failed to notice the function to recommend books to other people. A very big oversight on my part.

The Wonder Bread Summer by Jessica Anya Blau
Recommended to M'Lissa

I thought you might enjoy this book as you rated one of Blau’s earlier works as a three star book.  The Wonder Bread Summer is her third novel and the author has clearly hit her stride. The pace is much faster, the plot unpredictable and the humor is darker.  Just as a bonus the main character’s name is Alice as she too has fallen down the rabbit hole.

Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Prison by Malika Oufkir
Recommended to Brenda

I thought you would enjoy this book to the degree anyone can enjoy a book detailing the torture and imprisonment of a family. As an avid reader of biographies and psychology you will appreciate the strength of author who manages to detail her imprisonment with as much clarity as her privileged up- bring. While the story is dark it manages to be insightful and illustrates the very real impact of humanitarian missions.

Week Three

Conversation I

The phrases that stuck out most were: draws me in, reflective but funny and inner thought. I would recommend Yes Please by Amy Poehler. This reader seems like she will enjoy another book by an interesting brave women with great divorce tips.

Conversation II

From this brief interaction I took away their hatred for the angst of teen drama.  I would recommend Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford. It is the first story in a trilogy that follows Vampire Jane Fairfax, former human Jane Austen, as she runs a book store in small town unable to collect royalist from her novels and all the tied in merchandise.  Where Twilight was all teen angst; Jane’s vampire tale is told from a comedic and insightful view.

Conversation III

The reader clearly wants to read another fast paced suspenseful adventure true story.  This reader will definitely enjoy The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk by Jennifer Niven. It also chronicles a lesser known historical adventure. Captain Robert Bartlett, who happened to be an ice breaker for Robert Perry’s successful trip to the North Pole, who must save his crew and the scientific staff from certain death once the Karluk is trapped in the ice. And did I mention one of the crew members was traveling under an assumed name most likely to cover up his murderous past. Where the landscape is barren and sparse the author weaves detail upon detail creating chilling scenes.

Week Two: Appeal Factors

The Pope’s Last Crusade by Peter Eisner

This work of non-fiction will appeal to any history buff and  has a local Marylander connection as story follows the Jesuit priest/journalist, John LaFarge who spent many years on the eastern shore. LaFarge is best known for marching with Martin Luther King, Jr; however, this story focused on the events surrounding Pope Pius XI selecting him to draft the never published encyclical rejecting the Nazi doctrine of anti-Semitism.  Eisner moves the story along at as steady of a pace one can when writing about writing.  By blending LaFarge’s activities and movement through Europe with the international events of the day Eisner creates an intense picture of the pressures placed on LaFarge. Eisner also enlightens the reader with key character details of those within the church who insinuated themselves into LaFarge’s work in order to derail his efforts. The dark tone is set beautifully in the first chapter as an ageing LaFarge sets out to tell the younger Jesuit Priests about the summer he failed his Pope and his people as to quote Pope Pius XI “we are all Semites.”  

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Jordan details the scars of war, societal pressures and prejudices in a beautifully crafted all too possible work of fiction.  This novel makes no attempt to dull the sins of segregation, the limitations placed on women or the mental anguish of men who survived combat. The story follows two families, one black and one white, in the rural south post World War II.  The families provide the reader with a host of characters to hate, pity, tolerate, cherish, examine and re-examine. By changing the point of view, the reader is constantly engaged while to story rapidly moves forward navigating the character’s long arching trials colored with the ordinary joys of life.  

 Parable of Sower by Octavia Butler

Overall the plot unfolds quickly with some meandering while the heroine, Lauren is on the road towards the middle of the book. However, the author uses that time to introduce the reader to a few new characters having killed off a good portion of supporting characters.  Lauren is as steadfast in her belief in Earthseed as is her father in his belief in Christianity.  The supporting cast is presented not just a family/friends or enemies but as more malleable characters that might be inclined to change their beliefs for a host of reasons.  Butler’s gift for illustrating the flaws found in humanity in a compelling and well-crafted style is perhaps best displayed in this series. The story begin in 2030, which is 43 years in the future from the original publication date. Butler vividly details a bleak future with a collapsing economy, dangerously flawed religious leaders, a failed education system and a population addicted to drugs that turn people into pyromaniacs. In the 23 years since the publication of the novel many of her imagining have manifested in reality to varying degrees. This novel provides the readers with ample opportunity to examine many facets of society.

Week One: Books & Genre

I went out of my comfort zone as a both skeptic and sci-fi fan and selected USA Today Happily Ever After.  I have a friend that often complains the genre seems stale to her. Based on the reviews I read, I would  recommend Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The concurrent storylines should remind adults of their favorite choose your own adventure novel from a few or many years ago.  As an avid DR show listener I stayed close to home and selected NPR books. I frequently listen to the author interviews and book discussions yet never seem to have the time to read any of the books.  Based on the number of holds on Judy Blooms' new adult novel it seems most listeners don't have the same problem. Today's interview with author  Nisid Hajari covering the violence in India that lead to partition was very insightful. After listening, I feel comfortable ensuring customers that Midnight 's Furies will provide a great deal of information on the history of partition and provide a judicious view of the current state of the region.