(2) Brief Book Reviews - Our Missing Hearts; Celeste Ng and Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life, A Memoir; Dwlia Ephron

 

 Our Missing Hearts; Celeste Ng

Penguin Audio - 2022

(library download) - 9 hours 51 min   

 Narrated by:  Lucy Liu, Celeste Ng

I've read and enjoyed everything Celeste Ng has written so I couldn't wait for my audio reserve of her latest book to become available.  This book is quite different - a bit of a mystery with with a dystopian theme.

Noah Gardner (his mother calls him Bird) is a twelve-year-old boy who lives with his father in a dormitory at the university where his father works at the library.  Their life is one of order and routine ever since the "Crisis" changed everything for their family and his mother, a Chinese American poet, disappeared from their lives. At school he is learning new things and around him things are happening which he is desperate to understand. For example, why Asian Americans like his family are looked down upon and viewed by others with a mistrustful eye. In school Noah hears the taunts that his mother is a traitor. The boy has no friends except for Sadie and, one day she mysteriously disappears. as well

This is a story though set in the near future seems frighteningly realistic as to what we've seen on television or read about happening here in some parts of the United States to targeted race groups including child parent separations.  The audio book was mostly riveting; although a somewhat sad story, it is one that will stick with most readers I suspect.

RATING - 4/5 stars

Length: 9 h

Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life; Delia Ephron

Little Brown and Company - 2022

Library Download - 7 hours 39 min

read by author - good

In her newly released memoir, Delia Ephron, successful novelist, screenwriter, playwrite and lover of all things that the Big Apple has to offer gives readers a glimpse at her second chance at life.  

After losing her husband Jerry to a cancer diagnosis, an op-ed essay that Delia wrote for the New York Times earned her a surprise contact by a man from her past and a second chance at love.  Her new relationship is tested when Delia, like her sister Nora, learns that she has (AML) a fast progressing form of leukemia and that her only chance at survival is a successful bone marrow transplant.   Instead of running away from the very ill 72 year-old-woman, Peter, her new found love, asks Delia to marry him.

This memoir is indeed a second chance at love and life. Told with humor and, yes, there is at times some sadness too, but the writing was wonderful. I love that the audio was read by the author.

RATING - 4.5/5 stars

Current Reads 

90% completed

Book group read 

75% completed

Hope to Start Soon

(2) Brief reviews - Quartet in Autumn; Barbara Pym and Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship; Nina Totenberg

 

Quartet in Autumn; Barbara Pym

Plume - 1977

This is a book I had on my 2022 - 2023 Bucket list and, I am happy I had a chance to finally read it. 

Quartet in Autumn is the story of (4) older coworkers approaching retirement age: Edwin, Norman, Marcia and Letty.  Each is single, lives alone and except for work lives a mostly solitary life.  When the (2) women retire, the story takes a darker turn. Instead of the leisurely days one tends to associate with not having to get up ealy and go to work each day. the reader gets a glimpse at how sad and lonely a life without plans, dreams, hobbies  or friends can be.

I thought this story was very well written. Pym uses wry humor to which at times take away from what could have been a very depressing story.

Rating - 4/5 stars 

Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship; Nina Totenberg

Simon & Schuster Audio - 2022

Nina Totenberg had a long career as a prize winning reporter for the National Observer and NPR. Her professional career also led to a remarkable fifty year friendship with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

While I was expecting a book that would focus mostly on the author's friendship and professional relationship with RBG that is only a small part of the story. This book is a memoir about Nina T and it is fairly well written. but just not what I was expecting.  I admired how these women fought for a voice for advancing equality for women over the years.  There were some heavier, more personal insights as well: both women had to deal with the illness and subsequent deaths of their spouses.  While this memoir was interesting enough, I expect that readers who were looking forward to a focus on RBG will be somewhat disappointed. The audio is read by the author.

RATING - 3/5 stars

Book Review - Happy-Go-Lucky; David Sedaris

 

Happy-Go-Lucky; David Sedaris

Little Brown - 2022

(audio read by author - 7 hours 20 min.)

Library loan

David Sedaris has always been my go-to source of entertainment when I need a good laugh. I love his sardonic wit and how open and honest he seems when he speaks about his life and family. In his latest collection he writes of pandemic madness, hurricanes, family, relationships, bad teeth, illness, aging and even death. His father, Lou, who he had a strained relationship with passed away during the pandemic at the age of 98 after a prolonged period in which his health deteriorated. 

The author always seems to strike a good balance between dry humor, absurdity and even warmth at times although the warmth seems brief and somewhat detached. Familial relationships are always a large part of what Sedaris writes about but, his stories about his five siblings never feel repetitive or boring. His observations about daily life and interactions with others while sometimes a tad absurd make for some splendid entertainment. and, this collection had me chuckling so often that I listened to some of the essays several times.  

If I had one minor complaint about Sedaris is that he seems to flaunt his wealth a bit too much at times.  Just in this collection the reader will learn that he owns more than (6) homes in the US and internationally - including (2) side by side NC beach front houses on Emerald Isle.   Back in NYC He bought the unit above his place on the upper East side in NYC so that he could go upstairs when his husband Hugh played the piano. He also tells of how much he missed shopping during the pandemic, where he shops and how much some of his clothes cost. Despite this minor complaint, I remain a devout Sedaris fan having read most everything he has written. 

At 65 Sedaris has written some (18) books, which have been translated into 25 languages.  He routinely travels far and wide in the US and internationally for live performances.

Readers who need a bit of humor in their lives should give an audiobook, always read by the author, a try.  This collection as well as Calypso are (2) favorites of mine.

RATING - 5/5 stars

Book Review - Rough Draft: A Memoir; Katy Tur

 

Rough Draft: A Memoir; Katy Tur

Simon & Schuster Audio - 2022

This memoir by MSNBC news anchor Katy Tur is deeply personal and quite revealing. She writes about her childhood in CA, her parents, her career, relationships and motherhood.  The story begins with her childhood as the oldest child (she has a younger brother who is a doctor) of Bob and Marika Tur.  Katy's parents were hard working helicopter photographers for the LA News Service capturing some of the most well-known new scenes of memory like the OJ car chase, Madonna and Sean Penn's secret wedding, the LA riots and Reginald Denny beating and other prominent news stories.  They were always packed and ready to go when news was in the making.  Even though there were a lot of good times, life at home was often unpredictable, her father was often violent and experienced explosive episodes and the couple eventually divorced.  Her father struggled with his sexuality and eventually transitioned - Bob Tur is now Zoey Tur.  Katy's relationship with her father is still strained at this time.

I enjoyed learning about Katy's initial interest in a career in law and how journalism eventually just seemed like the career she was meant for.  He life as a foreign correspondent was quite interesting as well.  She speaks with honesty about her past relationships, her desire to be a mother and how she came up with the title "Rough Draft" -- still processing the direction of her career and personal life as she goes along. At just 38 years old, she is an award winning journalist, NY Times best selling author and now has written two books: Unbelievable  covering the crazy 2016 presidential election. as well as this newly released memoir. The audio book is read by the author which was great and made it all the more personal.

Rating - 4/5 stars

(Note: the audiobook download was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review)

Brief Book Reviews - The Lost Apothecary; Sarah Penner - The Shore; Katie Runde and The Kind Worth Killing; Peter Swanson and Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient; Theresa Brown

 

The Lost Apothecary; Sarah Penner

Park Row - 2021

Book Group Read 

The Lost Apothecary was our book group pick for May (discussion this week).  I thought the premise sounded really good. Set in 1791 London, Nella Clavinger took over an apothecary after her mother's death.  Her mission was to help women with their illnesses, afflictions and other more personal issues like providing them with poison when the men in their lives have done them wrong.  There is also 12 year old Eliza Fanning, who helps her mistress/employer Mrs Armwell but, when Eliza enters the picture and frequents the apothecary, Nella wonders how long the secret of what she has been doing will be safe.  

In the present day, Caroline Parcewell who has been married to James for ten years, but James is a cheater - she'll deal with him later.  She is also a woman who loves history. and after finding a mysterious blue vial in the Thames River (yes suspend belief here) with the help of a research librarian who Caroline develops a friendship with, she realizes the vial may be tied to the apothecary murders.

Told between (3) POVs, I really only enjoyed Nella's storyline. Caroline's melodrama was and the way her storyline was written was way too over the top at times.  I had never read about the terms "mudlarking/mudlark" ( the name given in the 19th century to children and adults who scavenged the banks of the River Thames in London.) I alway love when I learn something new when I read even though in this case it did not help with my overall opinion on the book.

Rating - 3/5 stars

(NOTE: An eGalley was provided to me by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.)

The Shore; Katie Runde

Simon & Schuster - 2022

The Shore was a debut novel that takes place over the course of one summer in Seaside, New Jersey.  It's the story of the Dunne family: Brian (father), Margot (mother) and teenage daughters Liz and Evy.  The family has made a business of renting summer cottages along the shore to vacationers.  When Brian is diagnosed with a brain tumor, the family is forced to shift their focus while trying to maintain at least a little sense of normalcy while struggling to care for Brian as well.

The story is told from MPOV and this ended up being a much heavier read than what i had anticipated from the lovely cover art and title.  I alway struggle about reading the descriptions provided by the publishers which often reveal too much of the story. Unfortunately, in this case I wished I had.  As it turns out I was not a good a fit for this book.  I kept wishing the story stayed more focused on the family unit but, oftentimes it seemed to meander to details about the teens and their friends which caused me to lose interest.  There were several audio book narrators: Andi Arndt, Priya Ayyan, Dan Biltner and Ines del Castillo.  The ones portraying the adults were good, the ones who portrayed the teens seemed to irk me at times. Although this book was not a good choice for me, I can see how others might enjoy this story a bit more.

Rating - 3/5 stars

(NOTE: An audio download and eGalley were provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.)

The Kind Worth Killing; Peter Swanson

Harper Audio -2020 - 10 hours and 17 min.

(Narrators - Johnny Heller, Karen White, Kathleen Early, Keith Szarabajka - very good)

Peter Swanson is one of those author's I'm always drawn to.  I like the fact that most of his books are set in New England and tend to have a riveting storyline that makes it hard to put down.  The Kind Worth Killing was such a story.

In a Heathrow (UK) airport lounge to strangers, Ted Stevenson and Lily Kintner strike up a conversation after their Boston bound flights have been delayed.  Their conversations get quite personal after a few drinks and, Ted confesses that he thinks his wife of three years, Miranda has married him for his money and believes she is having an affair and even knows who she is involved with.  He also tells Lily that he has thought of killing her to avoid a messy and costly divorce.  Lily, stuns him by saying that she thinks he should kill her and even offers to help him get rid of his problem.

Why would a complete stranger get involved? Well, it seems Lily has her own reasons.

This is a story built on deceit and revenge. The characters are all detestable but, it was hard to stop listening to this one.  Flashbacks into Lily's past give the reader insight into just what a nut job she is. A good story with several unexpected plot twists. The audiobook was read by (4) different narrators - all did a great job.)

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

(NOTE: I downloaded this audiobook from my public library)

Healing:  When a Nurse Becomes a Patient; Theresa Brown

Algonquin Books - 2022 (library book - hardcover)

Theresa Brown was an oncology and hospice nurse when she found herself on the other side in the role of patient - newly diagnosed with breast cancer.  Although she had non cancerous lumps removed at the age of 16, she did have relatives who died of breast cancer.  She tells her story of being diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, her surgery, follow up care and treatments.  She speaks about how healthcare professionals failed her at times and she has quite a bit to say about why compassionate care and positive attitudes are so important.  One thing she mentioned was that while she was in treatment, she felt she was doing something meaningful to avoid future recurrence but, added that once her treatment was finished those previous fears had a way of resurfacing. It seems once you are diagnosed with cancer, it never is truly gone from your mind.

In alternating chapters the author speaks of some of her unnamed patients during her time as an oncology and hospice nurse, recognizing how she, as well, had failed some of her patients.

I was drawn to this memoir for personal reasons and while I was happy I read it, I wished it had felt a bit more personal (I don't even think she mentioned her age when she was diagnosed). I can't describe it accurately but, I felt a little bit distanced by the way the author shared her breast cancer journey; it left me wanting more. 

Rating - 4/5 stars

NOTE: I borrowed the print edition of this book from my public library.

                                                              This Week's Reading Plans

Father's Day; Simon Van Booy

Harper Audio - 2016

6 hours 58 min - Bronson Pinchot narrator

Klara and the Sun; Kazuo Ishguro

Random House Audio - 2021

(Sura Siu - narrator - 10 hours 16 minutes)

(almost done with this one - so very good)

The Foundling; Ann Leary

Simon & Schuster Audio - 2022

(12 hours 40 minutes - Laura Benanti narrator)

I'm so excited about 20 Books of Summer and have just about finished compiling my list.  I'll be posting next weekend and looking forward to what I've picked. Are you making a summer reading list?

Share your week by posting a link on Deb's Blog HERE

Book Reviews - Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Story; Natasha Trethewey and Margreete's Harbor; Eleanor Morse

 

Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Story; Natasha Trethewey

Ecco - 2021

I love a good memoir and and this one was recommended by Ti@BookChatter.  It also made the cut as one of our former President Obama's favorite books in 2020.

In 1985 when the author was a college student her mother Gwen was murdered by her former stepfather. For years she buried her memories of her beautiful mother and their life together. Now 30+ later she tells her story, her mother's story and the story of an unpredictable, possessive and hot headed former Vietnam Vet who killed her mother in her own home.

This was much more than an ordinary memoir, the author is a former US poet laureate and her talent shows through the beautiful passages throughout this book. A richly observed story of race, love, obsession and family.  Highly Recommended.

Quotes

• “Mommy," you say quietly, so as not to be overheard. "Do you know how, when you love someone and you know they are hurting, it hurts you, too?” 
• “What matters is the transformative power of metaphor and the stories we tell ourselves about the arc and meaning of our lives.” 

Rating - 5/5 stars (purchased)

Margreete's Harbor; Eleanor Morse

St. Martin's Press - 2021

Burnt Harbor, Maine is the beautiful small town setting for this multigenerational saga.  The novel takes place in the years (1955-1968).  Life in some respects was much simpler back then but families still faced some of the same life changing issues as we experience today such as caring for elderly loved ones. Life was tumultuous for other reasons as well: war (Vietnam),  race relations as well as the assassination of President Kennedy. his brother Bobby as well as Dr. Martin Luther King.

The story begins with Margreete, an elderly woman with dementia who lives alone and starts a fire in her home.  Her daughter Liddie, her husband Harry and their two children Bernie and Eva upend their lives in Chicago and move to Maine to live with Margreete as she is unwilling to leave her home or consider other options posed to her.  Over the course of the novel a third, unplanned child is born as well and, as life marches on the reader experiences both big and small moments in the lives of this family.

Margreete was an interesting character, married and widowed 3x, with 3 children, it was sad to see her once full life slip away by the loss of her memory. There are a lot of themes covered in this story: marriage, family, parenting, fidelity, homosexuality and more. I found the story to be quiet in nature yet rich in detail. This novel took my longer than I expected to read but, I did enjoy it.  I probably appreciated the story more having grown up during this time period when my own grandfather also lived in the same house with us. It was a time when family often care for family under the same roof.  Readers who enjoy multigenerational, small town stories might want to add this one to their list.

Thanks to JoAnn@ Gulfside Musing for reminding me I had this one on my Kindle (sent to me by publisher and NetGalley).

Rating - 4/5 stars

Book Review - Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals; Laurie Zaleski

 

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals; Laurie Zaleski

St. Martin's Press - 2022

Author Laurie Zaleski's love of animals began early in life.  Her mother Annie loved all kinds of animals and had a dream of rescuing the unwanted, abused and abandoned animals who needed a second chance.  First, her mother had to escape her abusive life at the hands of Laurie's father Richard, a wealthy professor with a mean streak.  She along with Laurie and her two siblings had fled the family home several times only to be coaxed back by Richard.  Finally they were able to escape for good but, they were never really rid of him.  It was the mid-1970s and a difficult situation for a mother to be in. With almost no money of her own and no alimony she made the best of a bad situation with multiple lower level jobs.  One of Annie's jobs was in animal control and she was forever bringing a soon to be put to death animal home. Her big heart planted her dream of having her own rescue. Unfortunately,  that didn't happen for her -- she passed away at 52.  Laurie, however,  was able to live her mother's dream. She bought a 15 acre parcel in New Jersey's Pine Barrens region and began taking in helpless creatures: horses, pigs, goats, calves, llamas, cats, wounded birds and many other varieties of unwanted or neglected animals. Today some 600 creatures call Funny Farm home.

I loved this memoir and the way it was written. The chapters alternate between the past Laurie's and her sibling's childhood and her mother's need to see that her children learned compassion by help animals.  The chapters that focus on the present - are about "funny farm" and how various animals that live on the farm found their way there. I loved the resilience of this family and how they didn't dwell on misfortune but picked themselves up and made it their mission to help the helpless.  Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary is open to the public and has many loyal volunteers and supporters today. I  highly recommend this memoir.

Rating - 5/5 stars

(NOTE: The eGalley was sent to me by the publisher, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review)

Book Review - Taste: My Life Though Food; Stanley Tucci

 

Taste: My Life Though Food; Stanley Tucci 

2021 - Simon & Schuster Audio

(read by author - excellent)

I initially passed on this book when it was first released in the fall of 2021 but, after reading so many rave reviews, I decided to give it a try on audio. 

What a good memoir, Stanley Tucci has had quite a life.  I never realized just how many movies he has been in and how inspired his was by his Italian American heritage to learn to cook the REAL Italian way.  His cookbooks have been loved by many.  There was one chapter where he talks about the perfect martini which I enjoyed - he also talks about other cocktails and fine wines as well. Tucci has had more than his share of challenges in life, his first wife Kate,  died very young of breast cancer leaving him with three young children to raise.  And, more recently (last 5 years) Tucci faced his own private battle with a painful form of mouth cancer at the base of his tongue leaving a man who loved cooking and food so much, unable to eat for a period of time where he required a feeding tube.  Fortunately, he has recovered and he is back to cooking, creating and enjoying life with his second wife Felicity and the couples two young children as well as Tucci's three older children.

This is a very well written memoir.  It had a nice balance about Tucci's personal life, career and plenty of good food as well.  There are wonderful recipes peppered throughout and, Tucci's  down to earth writing style and plenty of humor really made this book even more personal and enjoyable.  There was one graphic scene Tucci recalled from his childhood that could have been toned down or better-yet eliminated IMO, but, despite that I still liked this an awful lot.  Readers will want a print copy for their shelves.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

(library download)

Book Review - Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times; Katherine May

 

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times; Katherine May

Riverhead Books & Penguin Audio - 2020

(combo - read/listen - audio 6 hours 54 min. read by Rebecca Lee - very good)

Wintering is a memoir / inspirational kind of book that came out the end of 2020 and has been on my TBR list since then.  I finally decided to listen to the audio and there was so much that spoke to me that I had to download the eBook from the library and, I even ordered this print UK edition  (look at that pretty cover art) because there is so much I wanted to highlight.  This is one of those rather short books that just might become an annual winter read for me.

Katherine May's memoir begins in September when her husband fell ill and required an emergency appendectomy for a burst appendix; it almost ended his life.  Following his gradual recovery, the author also started to feel unwell, just a feeling that something wasn't right. To ease her depression and anxiety she took time off from her position as a writing director and what happened soon after was a kind of transformation or celebration.  It happened around the time on the winter solstice and a new way of thinking about and embracing winter evolved.  Just as nature needs time to slow down and regenerate, so do us humans. 

The author speaks of the new joy of cooking and creating, reading by candlelight on a cold winter evening wrapped in a favorite blanket or comforter.  Is it so terrible to stay home, prepare tasty comfort foods, work on projects that were long ago set aside or, how about just sitting still and reflecting or our lives past and present?

This was a most interesting  and reflective sort of book - the topics sometimes felt random or even scattered yet I found it to be very satisfying. I think many people could benefit by reading this book; it gives the reader much to think about and, may be even more important to individuals prone toward cold weather winter bouts of depression.  It's time to change how many of us think about winter and the darker and more difficult paths we must walk from time to time.

The audio was provided by Penguin Audio at no charge in exchange for my unbiased review. The eBook was downloaded from my library and I've purchased the print edition which should arrive soon.)

Quotes - (just a few - there were so many more that I liked)

--“Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.” 

--“Winter is a season that invites me to rest well, and feel restored, when I am allowed to retreat to be quietly separate.” 

---“In our winter, a transformation happened. We read and worked and problem-solved and found new solutions. We changed our focus away from pushing through with normal life and towards making a new one. When everything is broken, everything is also up for grabs. That’s the gift of winter: it’s irresistible. Change will happen in its wake, whether we like it or not. We can come out of it wearing a different coat.” 

--“That is wintering. It is the active acceptance of sadness. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to feel it as a need. It is the courage to stare down the worst parts of our experience and to commit to healing them the best we can.” 

--“Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season when the world takes on a sparse beauty and even the pavements sparkle. It’s a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order.” 

Rating - 5/5 stars

Book Review - Mala's Cat; A Memoir of Survival in World War II; Mala Kacenberg

 

Mala's Cat; A Memoir of Survival in World War II; Mala Kacenberg

Dreamscape Audio and Pegasus Books - 2022

(audio download provided at no cost by publisher and NetGalley)

Mala Szorer, a Jewish girl, grew up in quaint forested village in Poland.  Her family had a good life until WWII began and the German invasion changed everything.  She wasn't even 14 when she witnessed the killing of her older brother and her family by SS men.  

 Knowing she had to flee the area if she had any chance of surviving, Mala and her cat, Malach, who she truly believed was her guardian angel, fled to find safety. Mala was a strong, smart, blond blue-eyed girl and, the fact that she did not look Jewish worked to her advantage.  With the help of some kind-hearted people along the way she was provided with occasional food and clothing and, eventually she able to pose as a Christian, fake her identity and even find work and shelter. 

I loved listening to Mala's story and her nearly (6) year fight to survive.  This book, originally published in 1995 as, Alone in the Forest, was a wonderful and important story.  Unlike many other WWII, Holocaust stories, I did not find this one too dark and depressing despite the subject manner. Mala was a wonderful character, she was so determined with a nothing to lose kind of attitude that worked to her advantage. A beautiful story of survival despite the odds. The audio, narrated by Kristin Atherton, is highly recommended.

Rating - 5/5 stars

Book Review - The Ugly Cry: A Memoir; Danielle Henderson

 

The Ugly Cry: A Memoir; Danielle Henderson

Penguin Audio - 2021

I was first attracted to this book by the catchy title and the cute little girl on the cover.   I felt an immediate urge to know more about Danielle's story.  So happy I read this memoir and, now my brief review.

Danielle Henderson's childhood was anything but normal. In the mid 80's at the age of 10 Danielle and her 11 year old brother Cory were dropped off at her grandparents house in upstate New York.  Her mother had no real plans to return for the children, choosing a life of drugs and multiple boyfriends over mothering.

The grandmother a hardworking, chain smoking, foul-mouthed woman with a penchant for horror movies thought that her child-rearing days were over yet, she did what she could in the only way she knew how and raised a second family.  

It is Danielle who narrates this audiobook and she does a wonderful job telling her story.  Yes, she was a deeply wounded girl who was abandoned by her mother and, yes, she suffered abuse in many forms early in life, yet she tells her story in a way that even has a way of lightening the painful moments of her life. There is also much humor infused in this story. I enjoyed all of the pop culture references from the 70s-90s, the time period that I raised my own two children.  I loved Danielle and enjoyed the way she described her challenges growing up  as a black girl in a white neighborhood.  I liked the ways she chose to stand out from the crowd in high school.  I wished the book gave even more information about the woman she became but I was, of course, able to Google it.  I also loved her spicy, foul-mouthed grandmother, the woman who stepped up to the plate, the woman who was not a role model for child rearing by any means but, she was a woman who raised Danielle with a sense of toughness and toward a greater sense of self-worth.

Readers who enjoy stories about dysfunctional childhood should add this to their reading/listening lists.  

Thanks go to Penguin Random House audio for allowing me access to the (7 hr. 33 min) audio download in exchange for my unbiased review.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

(About the Author)

Danielle Henderson is a TV writer (Maniac, Dare Me, Harper House), retired freelance writer, and a former editor for Rookie. She cohosts the film podcast I Saw What You Did, and a book based on her popular website, Feminist Ryan Gosling, was released by Running Press in August 2012. She has been published by The New York Times, The Guardian, AFAR magazine, BuzzFeed, and The Cut, among others. She likes to watch old episodes of Doctor Who when she is on deadline, one of her tattoos is based on the movie Rocky, and she will never stop using the Oxford comma. Danielle reluctantly lives in Los Angeles.

Book Review - Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor; Anna Qu

 

Made in China; A Memoir of Love and Labor; Anna Qu

Penguin Random House Audio - 2021 - (5 hours 41 min)

Made in China, is rather sad memoir about what it was like growing up unloved and feeling like an outcast.  The author was born in Wenzhou China in the mid 80's. Her father died when she was young.  Her mother decided that if she stayed in China, with the one-child rule at the time, it would be unlikely that any man would want to marry her so she made a decision to leave her daughter behind with grandparents in China and go to America.  In New York her mother got a job at a Queens sweatshop and eventually ended up marrying the owner and having two more children.  In 1991 when Qu was seven, her mother brought her to live her new family which she had never met.  

In America, Qu was not treated like her half-siblings, and never shown any love or attention. She had a room in the basement.  Unlike her half-siblings, as a teen she was forced to work 40+ hours a week in the sweatshop. Her mother was beyond strict, she was down right abusive and eventually Qu files a report with The Office of Children & Family Services, a decision which affects her later on.  An excellent student she was determined to succeed despite little encouragement and without her mother's help. While her mother wore designer clothes, Qu wore sweatshop clothes which made her stand apart from her classmates even more. Although she manages to go to college without her parents help there are more issues to contend with as an adult.

This was an eye-opening memoir that makes you think about the immigrant experience.  We learn about generations of struggles for women in China and the need for mothers to be tough.  Qu's bitterness, loathing and resentment is difficult to read about at times as you learn more about the complicated mother-daughter relationship here.  This memoir showed the darker side of a journey from China to life in America to what one would always hope to be a better life.

I downloaded this audio book from the public library. It was narrated by Catherine Ho who did a very good job with this memoir. Recommended.

Rating -  4/5 stars

Week in Review - Books Reviews - Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training; Adam Stern - The People We Keep; Allison Larkin and Morningside Heights ; Joshua Henkin

Thank You Deb@ Reader Buzz

How was your week everyone?  Last weekend was enjoyable and we were able to change our walks up a bit and get in some nice views along the way.

The rest of the week was rather humid with some thunderstorms. I didn't even go to yoga this week but, I won't bore you with my swollen knee and icing saga.  Today our devices are powered up as Hurricane Henri is set to wreck havoc with the New England coast. Our last significant here was Hurricane Bob in 1991 (30 years ago.) This one is supposed to be slower moving but longer lasting winds and rain beginning Sunday. i'm hoping no trees come down and if power is lost it will be brief.

READING

This was a good reading week with lots of variety: I reviewed some children's books on Monday, finished a non fiction, and listened to some good fiction on audio (well except for the Harold Robbins one).

Here's what I finished this week:

1. North and South: The Tale of Two Hemispheres;  Sandra Morris - 5/5 
2. Picturing a Nation: The Great Depression's Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself; Martin Sandler - 5/5
3. Dreams Die First; Harold Robbins - 1.5/5 - Setting: CA and LasVegas, NV
4. Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training; Adam Stern - NF -  4/5
5. The People We Keep; Allison Larkin - 3.5/5 Setting: Upstate New York
6. Morningside Heights ; Joshua Henkin - 4.5/5 Setting: New York City

Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training; Adam Stern

Mariner Books - 2021

eGalley provided at no cost by Marriner Books and Edelweiss

Rating - 4/5 stars

My Thoughts - Adam Stern's memoir gives reader insight into his four years as a psychiatry resident at Harvard in 2010. He was one of fifteen residents in the program which was referred to by the faculty as "The Golden Class. "  

I thought it was interesting how a young man who had achieved so much, at times he felt like he never measured up. The memoir also provided a look at the challenges he and other residents faced and the unique issues that were not something one would learn from a medical text book.  My favorite part about the memoir were the aspects in which he shared some stories about troubled individuals who were hoping someone could relieve their mental anguish and make their life more bearable. 

I thought the memoir was very well-written and a worthwhile read.even though It wasn't exactly what I was expecting as I thought it would feature more in-depth case studies similar to those found in books like Maybe You Should Talk to Someone; Gottlieb and Good Morning, Monster; Gildiner and Burgess. 

The People We Keep; Allison Larkin

Simon & Schuster Audio - 2021

Narrator: Julia Whelan (very good)

audio download provided at no cost by Simon & Schuster Audio

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

My Thoughts: Sixteen year old April Sawicki hasn't had a happy childhood but music has always been important to her. Her mother took off leaving her with her uncaring and sometimes abusive father. They lived in a motor-less motor home he won in a poker game. April has been pretty much raised by her father's girlfriend.  One day after a fight with her father she decides she's had enough of Little River and heads for Ithaca where she hopes to find work and somehow survive and start a new life. It's at a local coffee shop that she meets some people who are kind to her and make her feel that she fits in. However, when people have disappointed you all of your life, it's difficult to learn to trust when fleeing seems what sometimes feel best. Will April ever find what she longs for?

This is a story that got off to a very slow start for me. It took me a while to connect with April who was so used to keeping people at a distance because of what she had endured. She makes some bad choices along the way but once she begins to see that there are people who really do care about her, perhaps she will get a chance for a happy life. 

Morningside Heights; Joshua Henkin

Random House Audio - 2021

Narrator: Kathe Mazur and Shane Baker (very good)

audio download from my public library

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

My Thoughts: Spence Robbins was a well-respected English professor at Columbia University. It's where he met wife Pru Steiner when she was one of his students, Pru and Spence have a daughter together who is a med student in California. Spence also has an adult son named Arlo with Linda one of his former students. Linda was about of a free spirit moving from place to place so except for two years that Arlo lived with Spence when he was a teen, the two never had much of a father-son relationship.

When Pru is 51 and Spence is 57 he is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers.  This is a story of how life can change, sometimes in the blink of an eye and how loved ones act, react and move forward. I loved this story and all of the characters from Pru and Spence to Arlo and Sarah and even the the wonderful caregiver who eventually was hired to help care for Spence. This is a story that makes readers realize that rich or poor, intelligent or average, everyone at some point has the struggles and disappointments.  The tender storyline was so well crafted. I was quite moved by both the story and the wonderful audio narration as well.  Don't miss it!

Current Reads

( good info & well organized)

                                                                                                                                            (just okay so far)

  Review coming on Monday

(this one is well-written but sad)