Catching up with recent reads

Drinking with Men: A Memoir by Rosie Schaap

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Drinking with Men was an interesting memoir of a woman's journey through the neighborhood bar culture with a stronger beginning than ending. The first third of the novel is unique and fascinating look at the regulars who inhabit these local haunts, but I started to lose interest two-thirds through the book and found myself ultimately disappointed by the turn of events in the author's life. The best parts of the book are those spent describing the makeshift communities that develop in the local bars frequented by the author, and the characters that inhabit them. I wanted a different ending, perhaps, than the one the author lived, and didn't manage to understand the unraveling of her marriage or her religious conversion, as they seemed to happen so quickly in the back half of the book. That said, I admire the author's honesty and originality in living her life authentically, and enjoyed reading many of the chapters immensely.

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After You've Gone: A Novel by Jeffrey Lent

Another beautifully written, lyrical novel from Jeffrey Lent. I fell in love with his characters and despite the ending which broke my heart, I highly recommend this book, as I do all the works by this unique and literate author. (  )

A Look Inside Alzheimer's by Marjorie N. Allen

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

A Look Inside Alzheimer's is a slight book, more memoir or introduction than resource, that details the personal experiences of a caregiver and two patients dealing with their diagnosis, as well as insight from a wide range of family members affected by this disease.

The book includes some references for further reading, a brief glossary and list of resources in the Appendix, but at approximately 100 pages it was a very short read that left me wishing for more insight. Maybe my family familiarity with Alzheimer's left me wanting answers that don't exist, but I was hoping for more from this read. (  )

Grave's End by Elaine Mercado

This was a spooky read for the Halloween season, a well written and frightful account of one family's experience in a haunted house. Frustrating because of the denial, the marital stress, the conflicted emotions of the family and the incredible amount of time it took them to seek help. It's often amazing what people can convince themselves to live with. Scariest of all for me personally, was the incredible, uncanny similarity to experiences of my family members who shared their home with a presence that disrupted their lives, in two separate homes. As in the book, it took the intervention of a medium/exorcist to stop the activity. This is the first account I have read that so closely mirrored those scary family stories, and gives the reader a lot of mysteries to ponder and a lot of creepy feelings on the back of the neck. (  )

Boozy Brunch: The Quintessential Guide to Daytime Drinking… by Peter Joseph

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

I enjoyed reviewing Boozy Brunch as much for the cocktail recipes as for the lovely photographs and interesting quotes and stories. I found many new recipes that I'm eager to try, and fear I may be adding a wide variety of bitters and liqueurs to my collection. I'm also inspired to host a brunch soon with my friends and will have trouble deciding which of the drinks to serve, and which of the food recipes to try. This fun little book works as a cookbook, a brunch menu inspiration book, a coffee table book and as a conversation starter. (  )

The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Alden Bell

The Reapers Are The Angels rates among my favorite zombie and post-apocalyptic reads for its exceptional writing, pacing and characterizations, and is a remarkable work of fiction regardless of the genre. This story is a deeply moving and thought provoking look at humanity and what remains of the world through the eyes of an unforgettable fifteen year old warrior girl named Temple. I ordered this book based on the reviews after reading the frustrating young adult zombie novel, This Is Not A Test. I was in dire need of a good story, a compelling main character and greater literary depth. Alden Bell's novel delivered all this and more. I started reading the moment this book arrived, and did not stop until I finished well after midnight. Days later, I am still pondering the story and the nuanced layers of meaning and plan on rereading this novel to better appreciate the writing and the moral of the story.

This is not a typical zombie novel, although based on the action packed plot, it could certainly be enjoyed as one. Despite a few flaws with practicality, such as the long term availability of food and fuel, and the suspension of disbelief required in the mountain chapters, this is a very worthwhile and thought-provoking read on many levels. I was reminded of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, for its bleak, sparse style and journey across a ruined America, Colson Whitehead's Zone One, for its social commentary and character development, Jeffrey Lent's After the Fall, for its beauty and brutality, and maybe a little of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, for its compelling, complex, strong female characters and Biblical allegories. Like all these novels, The Reapers Are The Angels contains memorable characters and beautiful writing, and is very highly recommended. (  )

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (Perennial Classics)… by Barbara Kingsolver

Despite the recommendations of Oprah and my friends, this book languished in my to read pile for years. Years. I was reluctant to undertake a novel depicting a missionary family, and had burned out on Oprah recommendations long ago. In need of a large book to take on a road trip I decided to give in to peer pressure, not expecting much, but determined to cross it off my list. I was not prepared to be swept away by the story, the characters, by Africa's history and culture, to be moved to tears so many times. Barbara Kingsolver writes masterfully, beautifully, and this rich story was one of the best I can remember reading. I loved this book, and wonder why I resisted for so long. I was very sad to see it end, and wonder now, how I can read something next that won't seem inadequate in comparison. (  )

Where The Hell Is Matt? by Matt Harding

This quick but enjoyable book is a great companion to Matt's joyful Youtube videos and his website. After the release of Matt's fourth dancing video in 2012, I wanted to know more about his journey, his motivations and his experiences. This book provides all of that and more behind the scenes information. I only wish the book were longer, and that it had a sequel detailing his latest adventures. (  )

Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor… by Hali Felt

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Soundings is a fascinating look at the life and accomplishments of Marie Tharp, whose intellect and hard work resulted in the first maps of Earth's ocean floors. Her maps caused a stir in the scientific community by supporting the revolutionary new theories of plate tectonics. As a woman in a field dominated by men, and during a time when women were not expected to hold jobs outside clerical and teaching fields, her accomplishments are even more astonishing and humbling. I was surprised to learn the maps I had taped to my walls in college were created by a woman I knew nothing about.

The author presents a detailed biography of her subject and her admiration for Ms. Tharp is evident throughout the book. At times, the author's insertion of herself into the narrative, as well as her use of a contrived Mission Impossible scenario detracts from the story which drags in places. This is a dense read, however, the material and the subject matter prevail to present a very complete portrait of an under-rated, under appreciated brilliant female scientist who deserves acknowledgement for her life's work. (  )

The Light Between Oceans: A Novel by ML Stedman

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

The Light Between the Oceans is a deeply moving and thought provoking story about the depths of love, and the limits to what a person is capable of going in the name of love. The characters and setting are unforgettable, and the moral dilemma posed by the plot kept me reading and turning pages until I finished. I can usually guess plot twists and turns but I wasn't sure how this one was going to end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the author's beautiful writing and found myself moved to tears by the end. Highly recommended reading. (  )

The Cybrarian's Web: An A-Z Guide to 101 Free Web 2.0 Tools and Other Resources… by Cheryl Ann Peltier-Davis

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

The Cybrarian's Web is a brief but useful compendium of informative and essential web sites. Of the 101 sites listed, I was familiar with a third of them, and did not need an introduction to facebook, wikipedia, skype and many other sites internet novices might need help discovering.  The problem with a book listing websites is the quickness with which information becomes obsolete, such as the site Amplify, which no longer exists, or Rollyo, which has been under maintenance for weeks. I did enjoy exploring other sites I was not familiar with, and wished for a little more information about the sites in the book, and for the chapters to be organized by function rather than alphabetically by product name.

I found the book's website links to all the sites a very useful bookmark, and more useful than the book itself because of the status updates for the defunct or merged sites. (  )

Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son… by Anne Lamott

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This book is everything I've come to love and expect from one of my favorite authors. I laughed out loud, I cried a little, sometimes a lot, but mostly I laughed because Anne Lamott is a very funny lady, and a very, very good writer. Reading her latest work, Some Assembly Required, is like hanging out with my imaginary eccentric, hilarious, brutally honest, neurotic, self-centered, articulate, Jesus loving nutty best friend who just became a grandmother. She journals her feelings about this first year of her grandson's life, the struggles of her son and his girlfriend, a young couple thrust into parenting and adulthood, and her attempts to let them live their lives on their own terms, not hers, which is both painful and hilarious. She includes interviews with her son, which add an interesting voice and perspective to the year's journal.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her travels to India and Europe, the perspectives she gained through distance from her family. She has a gift for describing places, people and feelings that rings true for me and never fails to entertain and enlighten. Although I don't share the author's religious fervor, I don't mind her religious determination and certaintity one bit, because she doesn't preach, she just shares how she feels and views the world. I'm grateful she shared this first year of her grandson's life and the changes it brought to her and her son. I think fans of her work will enjoy this book as much as I did. (  )