Sunday, October 24, 2021
"Outstanding...[A] rich, rewarding read about family ties, perseverance, and women's friendships and fortitude." - Booklist (starred review)
"The pedantic aims of the novel are hard to ignore as Hannah embodies her history lesson in what feels like a series of sepia-toned postcards depicting melodramatic scenes and clichéd emotions. For devoted Hannah fans in search of a good cry." - Kirkus Reviews
"Through one woman's survival during the harsh and haunting Dust Bowl, master storyteller, Kristin Hannah, reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind. This mother's soul, suffering the same drought as the land, attempts to cross deserts and beat starvation to save her children with a fierce inner strength called motherhood. A timely novel highlighting the worth and delicate nature of Nature itself." - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing
Book Summary
A deliciously funny novella that celebrates the pleasure of reading. When the Queen in pursuit of her wandering corgis stumbles upon a mobile library she feels duty bound to borrow a book. Aided by Norman, a young man from the palace kitchen who frequents the library, the Queen is transformed as she discovers the liberating pleasures of the written word.
The author of the Tony Award winner The History Boys, Alan Bennett is one of Britain’s best-loved literary voices. With The Uncommon Reader, he brings us a playful homage to the written word, imagining a world in which literature becomes a subversive bridge between powerbrokers and commoners. By turns cheeky and charming, the novella features the Queen herself as its protagonist. When her yapping corgis lead her to a mobile library, Her Majesty develops a new obsession with reading. She finds herself devouring works by a tantalizing range of authors, from the Brontë sisters to Jean Genet. With a young member of the palace kitchen staff guiding her choices, it’s not long before the Queen begins to develop a new perspective on the world - one that alarms her closest advisers and tempts her to make bold new decisions. Brimming with the mischievous wit that has garnered acclaim for Bennett on both sides of the Atlantic, The Uncommon Reader is a delightful celebration of books and writers, and the readers who sustain them.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
This is the story
of nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
This book begins in 1933 in the middle of the Great Depression. The story follows one boy in particular, Joe
Rantz whose childhood deprivations led him to resort to things such as having
to scour for mushrooms and fish for enough food to keep him alive. The nine boys along
with their brilliant coach and a renowned boat builder overcome obstacle after
obstacle in their quest to represent the U.S. and win gold in the 1936 Berlin
Olympics. The book includes the story of
Hitler’s engineering of the 1936 Olympics as a showcase for Nazi Germany, removing
all traces of anti-Semitism and presenting Berlin as wholesome and squeaky
clean. Although the lengthy descriptions
of outings and techniques in the beginning were difficult to get through, I was
glad I continued to the end. Even if you
skim those sections of the book, the ending is worth it as it is well
written and is a very compelling story.
This story is told
in the first person and is narrated by the villain; Joe. When Beck walks into the bookstore that Joe
works in, he sets out to become her perfect boyfriend, no matter what it takes. He breaks into her apartment and steals her
possessions and also steals her phone where he can stalk her online as well as
in person. He also manages to get rid of
her boyfriend and best friend. He is completely obsessed, deranged, and
becomes even more unhinged with every chapter but Joe thinks he is acting
completely normal. Despite being a psychopath, Joe is strangely
likeable and the reader may at times (accidentally) root for him. Stephen King described this book as hypnotic
and scary. I found some hated this book
and some loved it. I personally liked it
as I had never read anything quite like it and enjoyed the series on
Netflix.