Being of mixed cultural heritage has made me curious about other’s experiences growing up. Did they feel too much one thing, not enough another? How does a person reconcile two very distinct sides? To that end I picked up Margarita Engle’s poetry book. Poetry is a VERY tricky thing as a reader, particularly this kind of poetry that also doubles as a memoir. Read More »
I Read a Lot of Books
I read a lot of books. Sometimes I review them.
The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart
At this point, I’d read anything Amy Stewart published. I love her non fiction. I love her fiction. I’d even read this book about worms. Read More »
Running for Women: Ditch the Excuses and Start Loving Your Run by Danica Newon
This is an internet age, and from what I can tell all of the information in this book is very basic, and very much on the internet. In short, it doesn’t need to be in book format. The information isn’t horrible or false, it just is surface level stuff that if you aren’t a beginning runner, you already know. Read More »
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
As I write this, of course I am assailed with the soothing sounds of Lin Manuel Miranda singing, “Alexander Hamilton, my name is Alexander Hamilton.” I read this book previous to the musical being the hit that it turned out to be, and was skeptical about it because a reader friend of mine had read it and not loved it, but what can one do? It looked big and bulky, and hey, I like history as much as the next gal, so I knew I’d give it a try. Read More »
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale
Another book that I wanted to love, but just didn’t. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher , written by Summerscale, is one of my favorite true crime books, and a book by which I judge other books a lot of the time. This one was a disappointment. Read More »
The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston
Full disclosure, I struggled to read this one. I kept picking it up and putting it down, though the subject matter is something I typically enjoy. Searching for lost civilisations in the jungle? Yes, please? A potential curse involved? Even better! But no, Preston managed to make it more boring than it needed to be, or perhaps I was expecting something other than the book that I read. Read More »
Confessions of an Unlikely Runner by Dana L. Ayers
Back to my task of reading one running book a month until I am running again. Good news on that front, I have started shuffling (it would not be fair to call it running) again, but I’ve been doing this weekly and while my mileage and speed are nothing to brag about, well, I am doing it, and perhaps one day I will brag again. Confessions of an Unlikely Runner was a great addition to my running library. I feel like Ayers and I could be friends if we met in real life because we are both unlikely runners. In Ayers case, the very first sentence of the very first chapter I’m not naturally athletic is basically my rallying cry, and when she continues that she was more of a book nerd growing up… well, lets let this website speak to that, shall we? Read More »
Of Time and Memory: A Mother’s Story by Don J. Snyder
Folks, this is a sad one. A truly sad one. This book first came to my consciousness when I was watching a film that used a quotation from the text “Let us hope that we are all preceded in this world by a love story”. I furiously tried to copy the reference because it sounded like a book I needed to have in my life. I was right. Of Time and Memory (I’ve also found the same book with A Parents’ Love Story) tells the story of a man trying to piece together the story of his mother’s life. Read More »
Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
I was not, like so many of my peers, brought up on the muppets. Sure, I remember Kermit singing, Rainbow Connection, and quite liked it, but I never watched the movies or the tv show. I also didn’t enjoy Sesame Street. I didn’t like Fraggle Rock. My biggest exposure to Jim Henson was through the puppets on Star Wars or The Dark Crystal, which I genuinely thought was one of the most amazing things ever. My seven year old self spent a long time playing the Dark Crystal, and I’ve been tempted to re-watch it as an adult, but I fear that I’ll dislike it and have no desire to destroy the nostalgia. Read More »
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
We all have eras of history that we find more fascinating than others. While I find US history interesting, it doesn’t usually captivate me in the same way that Latin American history does, but Nathaniel Philbrick is changing that. I read In the Heart of the Sea and quite enjoyed it. Read More »
The Blooding: The Dramatic True Story of the First Murder Case Solved by Genetic “Fingerprinting” by Joseph Wambaugh
If you know me, or read this website, you know I like true crime. Maybe that is wrong. No one should like crime. Let us just say that I am always interested to read about true crime, or watch a documentary, listen to a podcast, etc. Read More »
Assisted: An Autobiography by John Stockton with Kerry L. Pickett
Full disclosure. I care less than not at all about professional sports. Well, perhaps that isn’t entirely accurate. I am an only girl, raised with boys who LOVE sports. Though football is the big one in my family, all other sports are also welcomed. And local teams… well, mostly they love the local teams. I am from Utah and was a teenager in the glory days of the Utah Jazz when Stockton and Malone were making playoffs left and right and losing championships to the Chicago Bulls. Read More »
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden
Unlike most of my peers, I didn’t grow up watching The Princess Bride as a kid. I vaguely remember my 4th grade best friend, Katy, raving about it and arranging for me to watch it at her house. I have no idea why that never happened but it didn’t. Instead, I watched it for the first time as a freshman in college, and I LOVED it! I am glad I came to it later than a lot of my friends because some of the subtle humor is really best observed by older teens or adults. Read More »
David Spade is Almost Interesting by David Spade
Let us take a moment to talk audiobooks. This is not the first audiobook I listened to… no that honor goes to a horrible Star Wars audiobook which I will be reviewing shortly (and when I say shortly, I actually have no idea when I will get to it… I used to do these things in order, but I’ve given that up). Read More »
The Devil’s Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich by Robert K Wittman and David Kinney
Back to reading WWII books, I see. Yes, I am. I genuinely can’t help myself no matter how hard I try. I feel as though I am not entirely to blame because of each book published every year, I’d wager a high percentage are about WWII. Like how I kept it vague without any real statistics? Read More »
Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and The University of Colorado Men’s Cross Country Team by Chris Lear
If you read this website regularly (and there is no guarantee that you do… I’ve seen my web page analytics), you know that I like to read running books as I consider myself a runner on sabbatical just waiting for that magical day when I am no longer birthing or breastfeeding humans and can devote time back to running. Read More »
It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) by Nora McInerny Purmort
Sigh… where to begin? Reviewing a book like this is a bit of a challenge. Purmort’s biggest claim to fame, and her reason for writing a memoir in the first place, is that her husband died of cancer. So, if you criticize a book like this, you come across as a jerk… So with that understanding, I am going into this immediately letting you know that I DISLIKED this book. Read More »
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
I’d heard a lot about this book and had always wanted to read it. I’d read excerpts of a few of her other books and it looked like Battle Hymn was a bit of a departure, but exciting none the less. Then I had the opportunity to hear Chua speak at my brother’s law school graduation and enjoyed what she had to say. She spoke a lot about the backlash she received after writing the book and the controversy surrounding it. Which goes to show you, people who don’t read books shouldn’t get to make talking points on morning shows. Read More »
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
This is another book I picked up for research for our family trip to Hawaii in 2016. I’m already a fan of Vowell, and at this point I’d already done a fair amount of research so I was excited to add Vowell’s perspective. I knew there were certain things I could count on in a Vowell history. 1- She was going to be cutting. 2- She was going to find the ridiculous. 3-She might eviscerate the colonists. I was right on all counts. Read More »
Americana: Dispatches from the New Frontier by Hampton Sides
I have some go-to non fiction writers that I rely on to provide a variety of real life events or stories that I know will educate, enlighten, entertain, and always be great. Erik Larson, Sarah Vowell, Nathaniel Philbrick, Amy Stewart. And Hampton Sides. It was a happy day when I discovered this man. One thing I LOVE about Sides is that his books are so varied, and still so interesting. There is no better example than Americana. Read More »
A Long Way Home: A Boy’s Incredible Journey from India to Australia and Back Again by Saroo Brierly
By now everyone has heard this story as the movie based on this book, Lion, was nominated for all sorts of awards. My husband got this for me before the movie was a thing, and so the first time I saw the trailer for the movie I’d already read the book and therefore had a bunch of pre conceived notions about what it should be, but that is another story for another time. You all know my thoughts on movies based on books. Read More »
Run Gently Out There: Trials, Trails, and Tribulations of Running Ultramarathons by John Morelock
Ah, the book that single-handedly killed my love of running. Just kidding. I’m being a bit dramatic, but in a running book my bar is reasonably low: Does this book make me want to run? If the answer is no, then it isn’t a great running book. But I get ahead of myself. Read More »
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
I don’t know what it is about the darker moments in US history that people find so fascinating, but perhaps it is that psychological warm blanket of knowing that an awful thing happened while you are safe. I could ponder this all day but you came for a review and a review you are going to get. Read More »
Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins
Help me out there book-lovers: Do you find yourselves getting sucked into reading books about books? That is how Sixpence House came into my hands. Read More »
Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History by Hampton Sides
I’m a fan of Hampton Sides, if he writes it, I’m going to read it. (I’m currently reading Amercana: Dispatches from the New Frontier and loving it) I read this book at a challenging time which made it a very heavy read. Read More »
Captive Paradise: A History of Hawaii by James L. Haley
Way back in the early days of 2016, my husband and I decided that we would do something spectacular for his four week sabbatical rather than the yard work and errands that we’d initially talked about. Then randomly we decided we’d go to Hawaii, and we’d take the kids. I’ve never had a lot of interest in Hawaii, it seemed too touristy, too obvious, too not my kind of island, but once we decided we’d go (and take three kids aged five and under) for 2+ weeks in paradise, I threw myself into research mode. Read More »
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
So, apparently Jenny Lawson writes a beloved blog. I did not know that when I put this on my Christmas wishlist. I thought the description was intriguing enough and at this point in my life various people I know have suddenly become depressed, are seeking help for depression, or are recovering from depression. I was hoping to get a humorous insight into the disordered or depressed mind… that isn’t exactly what I got. Read More »
An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-year-old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski
Get ready with the tissues because this book is full of big feelings. In this day and age negative race relations is big money as it sells newspapers, has splashy headlines, and evokes strong emotions. Unfortunately the media has seized on the negativity in a way the early yellow journalists manufactured threats, wars, and published rumor as fact. Read More »
The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower
Congrats to Stashower for introducing me to a true crime that I knew next to nothing about. Sometime, somewhere, in some article or book or other I knew that Edgar Allan Poe had based one of his stories on the murder of Mary Rogers, but that is about it. I looked forward to learning a bit more about the whole affair. And MAN, affair it was. Really this book tells two stories. The first is of Edgar Allan Poe, a lonely, kind of ungratious, impetuous writer. The second is of Mary Rogers, a young girl with secrets who happens to get killed and to this day no one knows exactly who did it. I hate to admit it, but the Poe stuff was very secondary and when the story switched to follow him it always took me a couple paragraphs (or pages!) to actually care again. Not a good sign, but overall, I enjoyed the book.
Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II’s Most Dramatic Mission by Hampton Sides
I keep telling you I am going to stop reading books about World War II, and I keep reading books about World War II. I am in that vicious Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop cycle. Apologies again and always, but I love me some World War II books, and spoiler alert, I’ve started reading spy books about that era so you are going to be in for it for a long time. Read More »