Happy Halloween! I'm not sure about where you live, but here in South Carolina, the temperatures are making it still feel like summer! But, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting chillier for sure.
Before we all start getting busy with the holidays (which will be here before you know it), fall evenings are a great chance to do some reading. I read some great books this month (and one complete bomb, which you can read about below), so check out my reviews and pick out some books for yourself!
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The Pahlavi Sword by Jemil Metti
This one was a struggle to finish. The story was very clunky. The characters were hard to follow.
The story is told from the perspective of the main character, who is part of the military police in 1970's Iran. After his brother is wrongly accused and arrested, he becomes a fugitive trying to save his brother.
The story just went on and on and was difficult to follow. I also found the author's writing style difficult. Had good potential, but just not for me.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This book tells the story of life after a pandemic that takes out 99% of the human population. It goes back and forth between the days right before the pandemic, to the time after. The characters in both time periods end up becoming entwined throughout the story.
This is really excellent and skillful story telling. And while a couple of the characters and their storyline seem extraneous and not key to the main story, I still found it all intriguing and hard to put down.
This book is number 93 on the New York Times list of the best 100 books of the 21st century. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Metaverse Workplace Revolution: A Path To Greater Profitability, A Stronger Culture, And Industry Disruption by Jason Gesing
There are a lot of concepts in this book that I think are really good and I completely agree with. As someone who has worked from home full time since Covid, I completely agree with the arguments advocating working from home. And I believe that employees can be just as - if not more - productive when working from home than when going into an office.
The author of this book takes remote working one step further though, and is promoting working from the metaverse. It may be that I'm just still a bit old school, but the metaverse still seems a bit "out there" for me. And while I have no problem with the concept, the argument that it basically completely replicates being in the office seems far fetched.
Interesting read and concept, but I didn't get a lot out of this one.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
My main issue with this book, is that it was just trying to do too much. There were three different stories going, and none of them seemed to make sense with each other.
The overlying story was about the life of Eliza Touchet and her cousin, William Harrison Ainsworth. Ainsworth is a novelist in London who is contemporaries with other famous novelists like Charles Dickens, but doesn't have the talent or success others do.
Touchet was widowed and becomes the housekeeper for Ainsworth and his wife, but at some point also becomes his lover. At the same time, she still befriends his first wife, and later his second wife.
Touchet and Ainsworth's second wife get caught up in the trial of the Tichborne Claimant, where Touchet also becomes interested in the life of Mr. Bogle, who is a Jamaican who is Tichborne's valet.
Confused yet? I was too. It was so hard to figure out what was going on. The author flips from time period to time period. The chapters are really short - some only a couple paragraphs - and jump from story line to story line.
Having said all the negatives, I still think Smith is a great writer. She's witty and there are little nuances in her writing throughout. But this story just wasn't well structured and ended up being pretty boring.
I will definitely read more by her, but this one wasn't my favorite. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Days Of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
This book starts with Olga's husband of 15 years informing her that he's leaving her and their two small children as they were clearing the table after lunch. Mario proceeds to just walk out the door, while Olga is shocked.
At first, Olga thinks Mario just needs a day or two, and then he will be back. But, as Olga begins to realize that this is permanent, she quickly begins spiraling down mentally.
The rest of the book puts you in Olga's state of mind. She obsesses over why her husband has left her. When she realizes he's left her for another woman, she obsesses over her. Olga quickly starts to unravel, and struggles to not only get through each day, but struggles to care for her children.
This book is a fascinating peek into one woman's struggle through hitting bottom, and trying to come back up.
Nice and short read. I almost finished in one sitting last night, but had to finish the last 15 pages or so over lunch today. This book is number 92 on the NY Times list of the top books of the 21st century. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Ballyhoo (Southern Surveillance, Book 3) by Caroline Clemens
I really, really hate to give books bad reviews. And I especially hate to do it when I've won them in a Goodreads Giveaway, and know the author is giving away copies of the book to try and get it out there and create some buzz. But, I honestly can't bring myself to give this more than one star.
The premise of the book seemed promising. An undercover agent and his love interest go on a mission in the Gulf of Mexico to find the drugs and money the cartels have hidden on abandoned oil rigs. The book just never delivers in so many ways.
First, the story is totally unrealistic. This nurse "likes" an IG post of this agent that she hasn't seen in years, and he suddenly recruits her to go on an undercover mission with him??? And she agrees to go on a sailboat in the middle of the Gulf with him for 6 weeks, leaving behind her nephew that she just adopted after her sister died, and her full-time nursing job??? Then these random characters pop in and out. There is no cohesion to the story. It's just not good.
And then there is the writing. The dialogue is so awkwardly written. No one talks the way these people do. It's very formal and almost robotic. I actually thought at one point I had missed something, and the characters were not native English speakers and the author was having them sound like English was not their first language. But the narrative language was written the same. And it was just bizarre at times. There was even a recipe for jerk chicken just kind of randomly thrown in for no reason.
Again, I hate to give bad reviews because I am sure the author put her heart and soul in this book. There are only a few other reviews of it on Goodreads, and they all gave the book five stars, so I honestly thought I was being punk'd somehow. But when I looked at the other reviewers, they have literally given every book they have "reviewed" five stars, so draw from that what you will. I personally had a hard time finishing this and can't recommend it at all.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. One out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
This is a super sweet story that is quite entertaining. Jess was raised by her grandmother after her parents died in an accident when she was young. When her grandmother dies and Jess loses her job as a librarian, she decides to make a change and spontaneously buys a little cottage out in the countryside.
The cottage has an abandoned phone booth outside, that the village declares Jess is in charge of. When it's decided that the phone booth should be turned into a little lending library for the village, Jess fills it with the 10 boxes of books her grandmother left her.
The little library becomes so much more to Jess and the village, as she begins developing new friendships and a new life for herself. Of course, it wouldn't be a story without some turmoil that might force Jess to take a job in another city and the appearance of a potential love interest.
This one can be a little cheesy at times. It also seems to drag and keep pounding on certain things, and then almost feels rushed to wrap everything up in the last chapter. But, I love the premise and found it to be a super sweet, if not predictable, story.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Gingerbread Queen by Carrie Anne Noble
This book picks up the story of Hansel and Gretel 13 years after they escape the gingerbread house and Gretel kills the wicked witch.
Hansel and Gretel have returned home, but are shunned by their village who believe Gretel is a witch. In the meantime, Hansel has gambled away all the treasure that they took from the witch's house. When his gambling debts catch up to him, Hansel convinces Gretel that they must return to the gingerbread house to collect the remaining treasure.
The book primarily focuses in on Gretel, and continues with many of the characters from the fairy tale, as well as some new ones. A sweet and whimsical story. A little slow for me, but entertaining.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Secrets We Hide by Patricia Sands
This book tells the story of Kaito and his search for fulfillment and happiness in his life. Kaito is born in Japan, but moves to Hawaii with his parents as a young boy. Kaito's childhood friend, Hana, and her parents also move to Hawaii.
As Kaito and Hana grow older, their friendship blooms into love. They marry after high school and appear to be ready to embark on the perfect life. However, signs of depression and mental illness keep appearing in Hana. When Kaito is drafted and has to serve in Vietnam, Hana gives birth to their daughter while he is gone, and quickly develops severe post partum depression.
Kaito returns from his service, and struggles through life trying to raise his daughter while his wife falls deeper and deeper into her mental illness. In caring for her and his daughter, he puts all of his needs and desires aside.
This book talks very openly about mental illness and the toll it can take on families. You feel for Kaito and his journey to stay dedicated to the wife he loves, but is no longer the woman he fell in love with.
This is a wonderful story that pulls at your heart. The book is a bit slow and the writing a bit choppy at times, but overall a book worth reading.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Beatle Who Vanished by Jim Berkenstadt
This is the story of Jimmie Nicol, who will forever be known in pop culture history as "The Fifth Beatle". When Beatles drummer Ringo Starr becomes ill and is hospitalized right before the band is scheduled to leave on a world tour, their management - including Brian Epstein - decides the show must go on, and they need to bring in a drummer to temporarily fill Starr's spot on the road.
After asking two other drummers, they settle on 24 year old Nicol, who is an up and coming drummer in London, but relative unknown. For 13 days, Nicol becomes a Beatle and experiences what it's like to be in the most famous band in the world.
When Starr recovers and returns to the band and Nicol is sent home, he hopes to take advantage of his new fame as The Fifth Beatle. However, it never really pans out for him, and ends up being a bigger negative in his life than a positive.
While the book does go into some fascinating detail about those days on the road with The Beatles, it also focuses on Nicol and his career before and after his run with the band. Nicol never really recovers from what he believes was a slight from the band after, and blacklisting he believes was done by Epstein. He eventually goes into total seclusion from the world, to the point no one knows if he is still alive or dead.
This book was originally published in 2013, and left readers with the question of whether Nicol was still alive. I read the 2024 update released to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nicol's stint with the band. This edition answers the question of whether Nicol is still alive, but you will have to read it to find out!
Definite must read for fans of The Beatles, and well worth the time of any music fan.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Human Stain by Philip Roth
This book tells the story of Coleman Silk. Silk is a professor and dean of his department, when he is accused of using a racial slur against two of his students. While Silk professes his innocence, saying that the use of the word in the context he used it was not derogatory, the uproar will not die down and Silk is forced to retire.
Shortly after, Silk's wife has a stroke and dies. Silk blames the false accusations against him as the cause of her death.
As Silk becomes more and more reclusive after the death of his wife, he begins an affair with a member of the janitorial staff of the university, who is less than half his age - Faunia Farley. Farley has her own baggage due to a troubled past, which just adds to the drama around their unexpected relationship.
As the story unfolds, it turns out that Silk has a secret that no one - including his wife and children - ever knew, that eclipses anything that anyone knows about Silk.
This is a very complex novel that winds through a lot of issues and themes. While written well, my big issue is that the author tends to be a little over the top with his vocabulary and his long narratives. This book also covers some heavy topics and can be an intense read. It's definitely not one you sit and read in one sitting.
This book was number 91 on the New York Times list of the best 100 books of the 21st century. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Of Storm And Shadows by K.B. Fisher
Lance and Lauren are two teenagers that live next door to each other. Even though they are neighbors, their families and backgrounds couldn't be more different. As Lauren and Lance start to show interest in each other, Lauren's father does not approve. And Lance quickly realizes that there is more going on in Lauren's house than she is willing to say.
When Lance's uncle in Texas becomes ill, his father tells Lance he has to move to Texas to help. Without being able to explain to Lauren what's happened, he leaves town.
Fast forward a number of years. Lance has returned home. Lauren has also returned home when her father passes away. As Hurricane Katrina wrecks havoc on their homes, the truth around Lauren's past comes out.
The first part of the book is told from Lance's perspective, and the second half from Lauren's. The chapters alternate between that summer when they were teenagers and what happened immediately after, with their current life.
This one was a real page turner. Definitely kept you guessing, and some twisted turns. I really enjoyed it!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book is not yet published. It is due to be available for sale on November 16, 2024.
The Rest Is Memory by Lily Tuck
This is a work of historical fiction based on an actual person named Czeslawa Kwoka. Kwoka was a 14 year old Polish Catholic girl who died in Auschwitz on March 12, 1943. The author learned of Kwoka after Polish photographer Wilhelm Brasse died, and the photograph he took of Kwoka when she arrived at Auschwitz appeared in his obituary.
While this may be a fictional book, the horror of what happened to so many people during that time is very real. I am of Polish descent and have visited Poland many times, so I have a very keen interest in this part of history, and this type of historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.
Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorite books that I have read on this topic. Clearly it was intentional, but the author's writing style was very broken. The book reads like short pieces of news headlines, rather than a cohesive story. It jumps back and forth between time periods and has snippets interspersed in it about random actual people from that time. I just never got as invested in Kwoka's story as I could have been because of the style.
This is a very short read. I am a fast reader, but it took me less than an hour to read. And obviously, this is a very heavy topic and the book holds nothing back and can be quite difficult to read at times.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
This book will be published on December 10, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
The Power Of Networking: Strategies For Career Excellence, Job Development, And Building Greater Triumphs In Your Work by Michael Morgan
I'll start out by saying that I think this book has a lot of value for someone just starting college or just starting their career. The author does a great job talking about all the different ways you can network. What I like is that he talks about networking opportunities outside of work, which I think often gets overlooked when people talk about networking. He also gives some good basic career advice about things like interviewing, people management, career advancement, etc.
For someone like myself that is nearing the end of their career, this book is not as valuable. That is not a critique of the book at all, just a point to make if you are reading this review and deciding whether to read the book.
The only negative I found in the book is that the author seems to be super human. I would caution any young adult reading this to really pick and choose out of the things he advises you to do. Otherwise, it could seem overwhelming.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
If you are reading this on Halloween, be safe and enjoy! Otherwise, thanks for checking my book reviews out. Hope you find something you enjoy!
What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you check out any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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