When I was much younger, I devoured as many Stephen King and Dean Koontz books that I could put my hands on. I haven't read much horror since then. AsWhen I was much younger, I devoured as many Stephen King and Dean Koontz books that I could put my hands on. I haven't read much horror since then. As part of the ATY (Around the Year) Goodreads challenge, I learned about Coraline as a possible book for the novella prompt.
I listened to Coraline on audiobook and it is narrated fabulously by the author, Neil Gaiman. In addition, the music is performed by The Gothic Archies. I was thrilled that I listened to the audiobook and had the opportunity to experience the performance of the musical elements.
Coraline is an eleven year-old girl who is drawn to the door that doesn't go anywhere. It opens to a wall of bricks. But lo and behold, there is a lot more behind that mystery door. The book is based on the premise that many of us have wondered....what would life be like if I had different parents?
This book will remain in my heart and memory for a very, very long time. Mad Honey, written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was initiated bThis book will remain in my heart and memory for a very, very long time. Mad Honey, written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan was initiated by a dream that Jennifer Finney Boylan had about co-authoring a book with Jodi Picoult. Jennifer posted a tweet about the possibility and Jodi reached out to Jennifer. Both of them knew who each other was but they had never met.
The collaboration and book is incredible! I listened to it on audiobook and the narration by Carrie Coon and Key Taw is outstanding. Both authors speak at the beginning and end of the book. Astounding insights and experiences by both that led to this masterpiece.
I also learned a lot about bee keeping, including how mad honey is created.
I won't share much about the characters and plot of the book because I don't want to give away any spoilers. The book held me spellbound the entire time.
I did not know that death doulas exist. It is a genuine occupation to sit and be with those who are near the end of their time on earth. The CollectedI did not know that death doulas exist. It is a genuine occupation to sit and be with those who are near the end of their time on earth. The Collected Regrets of Clover is the debut novel of Mikki Brammer and it's outstanding!
The main character, Clover, is a death doula. She captures the last words and conversations of those she sits with before they pass away. Clover indicates that their last conversations are usually about regrets, accomplishments or secrets.
The story arc includes Clover learning about herself and how she needs to change to live a life that is "cautiously reckless." ...more
The quote "Unruly women are always witches no matter which century, " hooked me at the beginning of The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her IThe quote "Unruly women are always witches no matter which century, " hooked me at the beginning of The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear. Kate Moore is the author and narrator and she quickly takes the reader back to the 1860s when Elizabeth Packard is institutionalized in an asylum by her husband of 21 years. Elizabeth's crime? She had different religious viewpoints than her husband who was a preacher and she was "insane" on the issue of women's rights.
Elizabeth spent three years in the asylum and documented the abuses and punishments women faced while institutionalized. Husbands could easily commit wives to an asylum. Moore describes asylums as storage units for wives.
While institutionalized, Elizabeth became emboldened to write and campaign against women being committed to asylums. She handwrote 2,500 pages within six weeks which made my jaw drop. Her books became best sellers. She later founded the Anti-Insane Asylum Society and campaigned for divorced women to retain custody of their children.
Some memorable passages from the book: * History favors reruns
* Submission is no virtue
* Dying by inches
I was not familiar with Elizabeth Packard before reading this book and I greatly admire her courage, grit, determination, and commitment to the rights of women.
True Grit was written by Charles Portis, published in 1968, and later made into a movie. It is based in Arkansas in the 1870s and told from the perspeTrue Grit was written by Charles Portis, published in 1968, and later made into a movie. It is based in Arkansas in the 1870s and told from the perspective of 14-year-old Mattie Ross. Mattie's father was murdered by Tom Cheney who escaped into Indian territory. Mattie wants revenge (death) for the murder of her father and she is bound and determined to make sure it happens.
Mattie has tremendous grit, gumption, perseverance, determination, negotiation skills, and an "I won't back down" attitude.
Donna Tartt, an accomplished author, does an exceptional job narrating the audiobook.
Beartown captivated me at the very beginning but it dragged throughout the middle. I enjoyed the movie and rarely do I watch the movie first and then read the book. I prefer to read the book and then watch the movie.
The book is based on a very remote, small town with a hockey team. The plot is robust but it takes a long time to get through it....more
I was really looking forward to reading Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs because memoir is my favorite genre, I love dogs, and I am a huge champion andI was really looking forward to reading Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs because memoir is my favorite genre, I love dogs, and I am a huge champion and ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
Unfortunately, this ended up in my DNF pile after listening to about 15% of the book on audiobook. The story jumped around too much for me.
Thao Thai does a fabulous job in her novel, Banyan Moon, sharing the journey of three generations of Vietnamese women. Each of the three women are sinThao Thai does a fabulous job in her novel, Banyan Moon, sharing the journey of three generations of Vietnamese women. Each of the three women are single mothers trying to do what is right for their children while also facing their fears and human flaws.
One of my favorite passages from the book is, "Grief is a lake of perilously thin ice."
I just finished Dark Corners before reading Banyan Moon. Both books refer to ouroboros, snakes which eat their own tails. It is an unusual word to see in two different books back-to-back. ...more
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is the debut novel of Crystal Smith Paul. The book tackles tough issues such as slavery, rape, Jim Crow, segregation, aDid You Hear About Kitty Karr? is the debut novel of Crystal Smith Paul. The book tackles tough issues such as slavery, rape, Jim Crow, segregation, and discrimination. The main character, Kitty Karr, passes for White due to her light skin tone. Kitty Karr becomes a famous Hollywood actress who has made very difficult choices in her life and has had challenging decisions made for her.
To me, the character development of Kitty Karr and her mother, Hazel, was terrific. The character development of the St. John sisters felt a little flat and the end wrapped up too quickly and easily....more
Heartbreaking and gut wrenching. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do.
Goldie Taylor, human rights activist, had a horrendous childhHeartbreaking and gut wrenching. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do.
Goldie Taylor, human rights activist, had a horrendous childhood. Her memoir, The Love You Save: A Memoir, shares her journey from birth to ninth grade. Her brother was killed when he was 14 years old and then her father was murdered on Memorial Day. Her mother was in and out of her life and was not very loving. Her mother deposited her with an aunt. Occasionally she saw her grandmother and begged to live with her grandmother who showed her compassion. Taylor was raped at a young age by a neighborhood boy. Later she was repeatedly raped by a relative.
Bahni Turpin narrates Taylor's memoir exquisitely. Taylor's writing style is fabulous, the scene imagery is memorable, and the dialogue is very real and memorable. Writing passages that were memorable to me include:
*Everything went from sugar to shit
* She was the type of woman who smoked while on the toilet (describes a relative)
* What needed fixin' was my wagon to pull
* When she wasn't as high as the Gateway Arch
* Money doesn't make a man
* She was buck naked from the rootie to the tootie (I am still trying to determine if rootie means the roots of her hair)
Taylor's life started to improve thanks to teachers who saw her potential and challenged her. James Baldwin, Ida B. Wells, and Charles Finn were introduced to her through books and she began competing in speech contests.
What I desperately wish I had learned from her memoir is how she went from ninth grade to the incredible career she has had....active duty US Marine discharged honorably for medical reasons; served on several political campaigns from both sides of the aisle; fundraising for Barak Obama during the 2008 campaign; 4 years as a political contributor to MSNBC; writer; executive consultant for CNN's Black America. Wow! Super impressed with her grit, determination, courage, and perseverance.
Taylor discovered boxes of documents, primarily in German, and photos after her mother passed away. It took her over two years to find a person with expertise in formal, "old school" German who could translate the letters. The letters provided significant details into her mother's life during the war which included daily atrocities as well as finding love.
Historian and researcher, Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos, has written a fascinating biography, The Pirate's Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah KiddHistorian and researcher, Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos, has written a fascinating biography, The Pirate's Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd, which is based in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Sarah Kidd's mother passed away when Sarah was a young child. Her first two husbands died by the time she was twenty-one years old. Based on cultural and marital norms during the 1600s, Sarah's personal successes were very much dependent on the men she married.
She wed Captain William Kidd two days after her second husband's death. There isn't a lot of information about how or why her second husband died. What is clear is that Sarah and William loved each other very much. Captain Kidd was a Scottish sailor who moved to New York. He was commissioned by Earl of Bellomont, the governor of New York, to protect English interests in North America and the West Indies while at sea.
Captain Kidd was at sea for three years. The book describes the thin line between privateer and pirate. The political winds changed while Kidd was away and he was tried and executed for piracy. He is viewed as an infamous, notorious pirate with possible treasure buried somewhere near Long Island.
The book focuses on Sarah's resourcefulness and reinvention, particularly with so many deaths during her life. As the wife of an accused pirate, she faced incarceration and being charged as an accomplice. ...more
Erika Hayasaki does a terrific job sharing the story of premature twins born in Vietnam in 1998 and separated when they were five months old in SomewhErika Hayasaki does a terrific job sharing the story of premature twins born in Vietnam in 1998 and separated when they were five months old in Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family. Isabella is taken to an Vietnamese orphanage and later adopted by a family in Chicago. She is raised in the U.S.
Isabella's twin sister, Ha, is raised by an aunt and her lesbian partner in a rural community in Vietnam. The Chicago family also adopted another girl, Olivia, from the same orphanage where they adopted Isabella.
This fascinating story follows the girls for more than a decade, including their reunion and meeting each other. There are so many different dynamics and points of view. No easy answers or solutions.
Hayasaki's father is Japanese and her mother is Caucasian. Hayasaki is the mother of twin boys and completed thorough, detailed research for the book. The book addresses studies of nature vs nurture, particularly those done with twins who were separated at birth. ...more
This book covers six cases that Bowden wrote about for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Vanity Fair, and Air Mail. Each case is very unique and was incredibly challenging to solve.
Nathalia Holt has done an excellent job researching and excavating the details about women at Disney who brought animation to the movie theater and laNathalia Holt has done an excellent job researching and excavating the details about women at Disney who brought animation to the movie theater and later to television in The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History. Initially women only worked in the Ink and Paint department at Disney but then a few were hired from Chouinard Art Institute. Their artistic talents appealed to Walt Disney because he wanted animation stories to be richer, like a painting.
Retta Scott was the first female animator; she was the beacon who lit the path to the animation floor that other women could follow. Retta said that you can't draw anything if you don't understand it. While creating Bambi, there were two orphaned fawns on the lot at Disney so the artists could watch them and draw them.
Another woman who is highlighted is Grace Huntington. She was an artist and a pilot. She repeatedly broke airspeed records but was unable to land any jobs as a pilot. Mary Blair, a watercolor artist, and her husband, Lee, were both hired by Disney. Mary's artistic style and flair continued to develop and was critical for many movies. Biana Majolie, Sylvia Holland, Gyo Fujikawa and others also made significant contributions.
Holt does a terrific job providing historical context about the company as well as the nation and the world. Walt Disney created a training program to help women learn the skills of being an animator so that they could be promoted from the Ink and Paint department and move into animation. Male employees complained and Walt held an all-company meeting explaining why women were needed in the workforce.
Many men headed off to fight in World War II and women entered the US workforce in droves. After the war, over 4.5 million women lost their jobs nationwide. As a company, Disney experienced many ups and downs, including a thirteen year period where movies lost money or barely broke even. There were several layoffs, union strikes, and controversy about their movies.
The book is thoroughly researched and starts with several examples that occurred in the 1960s and 70s. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 - 1976, secular schools and universities were closed and millions of books were destroyed. The Chinese writer, Lu Xin, stated, "The statesman hates the writer because the writer sows the seeds of dissent." When Pol Pot ruled Cambodia, the ability to read was a capital offense. During the Mayan civil war between 1960 - 1996, elders were killed with exceptional cruelty to destroy people's links with their past.
Some of the memorable passages include:
* When a regime's power rests on force rather than consent, its legitimacy requires constant manhandling of the past.
* There has been a long-standing tension between the ideals of free speech and the urge to prevent harm that words can cause.
* The compulsion to silence others is as old as the urge to speak.
* US Supreme Court: Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters.
* Censorship targets have usually been outliers who are vulnerable to the force of authority.
* Protections of speech have almost always represented a gain for the powerless at the expense of governing classes.
* With Facebook and other social media sites, ordinary citizens now have the ability to silence rulers and Presidents.
* Destruction of books is a confession by authorities that they cannot coexist with nonconforming ideas.
* Censorship is always a display of weakness.
* What is venomous for one person is nourishment for another.
* Books contain a potency of life.
* US Senator Hiram Johnson: The first casualty when war comes is truth.
* George Orwell 1945: If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don't want to hear.
What the Bleep??!! What the Bleep is the name of one of the chapters in Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIWhat the Bleep??!! What the Bleep is the name of one of the chapters in Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM but it could also be the name of the book. I was not aware of Keith Raniere and NXIVM, a self-help company that appealed to dreamers with deep pockets. Over 100 women were initiated into Raniere's sadistic world that included slavery, forced labor, punishments, and exploitation. For some women, it also included being branded with a cauterizing pen (and no anesthesia) with Raniere's initials to signify a lifetime commitment to obey Raniere's every request. The women had to film each other being branded.
This true story has many similarities to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Bright, ambitious, successful women recruited other women to join NXIVM. Sara and Clare Bronfman, Seagram heiresses, gave $65 million to NXIVM. Famous celebrities joined Raniere and his team.
Raniere insisted that many women have sex with him, but the women could only have sex with Raniere and noone else. This was the same requirement David Koresh had for the Branch Davidians at Waco. Raniere provided weight requirements for each woman and many had to report their weight daily. He did not allow for birth control because it could increase weight. There were many abortions that his team helped coordinate at local clinics if women became pregnant.
I am horrified, shocked, and mortified. How the Bleep does this even happen??!!
Kate Quinn is a terrific author but The Rose Code wasn't for me. It ended up in the DNF pile after listening to about 25% of it on audiobook. I'm not Kate Quinn is a terrific author but The Rose Code wasn't for me. It ended up in the DNF pile after listening to about 25% of it on audiobook. I'm not that keen on historical fiction stories about royalty, gowns, women who are petty, etc.
I have enjoyed other Kate Quinn books, including The Diamond Eye and The Alice Network. Quinn creates very strong female protagonists with grit, determination, and attitude....more
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