What Am I Reading – Chapter Five

Hello Everybody,

I hope everyone’s having a great MLK Jr. Day! I sure am! I will continue to strive for diversity, equality, and inclusion when I review books from all walks of life.

Since the last chapter, I have read a lot of books and audiobooks, but I do have two books to share with you today.

Let’s get started.

The first book on the reading block is The Book of Love: 50 Poems to Fall in Love by Shah Asad Rizvi. It’s the second poetry collection that I’ve read of his, and it focuses on love in its many manifestations. So far, the book is about longing, becoming one with another, love at first sight, and what it means to be in love. I’m halfway through it, so I look forward to seeing how Rizvi expands on this topic. I plan on reviewing it in time for Valentine’s Day.

The second and last novel on the reading block is Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. This book takes place during World War II – historical fiction’s favorite era. It tells the stories of three women – Caroline Ferriday, Kasia Kuzmerick, and Herta Oberheuser. Caroline is a former Broadway actress who works at the French Consulate in New York City when Hitler invades Poland, and she sets her sight on France. Kasia is a Polish Catholic teenager at the beginning of the war who becomes a courier for the underground resistance movement. Herta is a young German doctor who lands a position at Ravensbruck, yet she finds herself in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power. Their lives begin to collide when Kasia and her mother and sister are sent to that same concentration camp. As a result, their stories intertwine as Caroline and Kasia seek justice to those history has forgotten.

I’ve read plenty of WWII-based historical fiction, and it’s nice to see one that encompasses a broader view of the people’s experiences throughout that war. It’s also good to read one that emphasizes the home front and the work of women on both sides, despite how deadly some of that actually was. The main characters are fleshed out so far, and I look forward to what happens next and how their stories collide. Some sections can be hard to get through, especially the ones that involve Kasia at Ravensbruck.

I’m listening to the audiobook, and it’s good so far. Cassandra Campbell (from everyone’s favorite book Where the Crawdads Sing) is Caroline, and she voices her like a Hollywood starlet. Kathleen Gati (from General Hospital) plays Kasia with a vague Polish accent, and she captures the emotions that Kasia feels, especially during her time at Ravensbruck. Kathrin Kana – a bilingual German/English actress – takes on the role of Herta. Kana plays her part well as her character deals with the implications of working at a concentration camp.

We now come to the end of the fifth chapter of “What Am I Reading?”

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The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life Book Review

Alex Trebek’s final episodes as host of Jeopardy aired this past week. As a longtime viewer, I wanted to honor his legacy by reviewing The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life – an autobiography that does that as well as reflect on general and Jeopardy-related topics. It was published in July 2020 – less than 4 months prior to his death. Since the book uses a similar structure to that of the famous quiz show, I will do the same thing here. So, here it goes: The answer is… a fabulous book that is both sassy and heartfelt while Alex Trebek reflects on his life and work. What is… my opinion?

The answer is…these sections of a book make a quick read, especially when they are less than 10 pages each. What are…chapters? Seriously, this book definitely fits the needs of people who don’t have much time reading. The short chapters make it easier to take a break and not lose the reader’s place. At 304 pages or 4 discs, they could probably finish it in about a week or two.

What are… my favorite parts? Trebek offers anecdotes about his personal life and his time as host of Jeopardy. One of the parts that I really liked was simply getting to know him. Prior to reading this book, I didn’t know that he was bilingual (his mother was French-Canadian from Ontario), his father was an Ukrainian immigrant, and loved horses and classic movies. 

Some of the other amusing parts were when he talked about certain contestants (like Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter) and incidents that happened on the show, including the time when no one answered the questions relating to football. Also, it’s very telling that he didn’t have a bad word to say about any of the players that he mentions. And of course, he discussed the popularity of his mustache and how the media freaked out when he decided to shave it off. I didn’t know that his facial hair became famous because there hadn’t been a quiz show host who sported that since Groucho Marx. As a Marx Brothers fan, that made me very happy.

Another memorable section was when he discussed his battle with pancreatic cancer. It really showed his mentality in how he deals with being a cancer patient. For example, he talks about disliking using battle as a metaphor since if one doesn’t survive that, then they are considered a loser. To him, the most important thing was getting through treatment, and if he felt that it was time, then he would stop the process.

What are… expectations? I’ve seen some reviewers express some disappointment with Trebek not revealing much of his life. I wasn’t bothered by this since he admitted that the chemo has affected his mental capabilities. He also confessed that he evaded writing a book about his life for a long time because he thought it wasn’t interesting enough. These are probably the reasons why the autobiography has an equal focus on his values as well as his actual story. He kept my interest throughout.

What is… my complaint? Before I address my issue with the book, I want to say that I understand that it was written in 2020 – the year of the coronavirus. Therefore, talking about this disease is inevitable. I didn’t mind Trebek discussing this because let’s face it, it has affected everyone no matter who they are. What annoyed me was when he brought politics into that particular conversation. It’s not that I have a particular bias for/against one party and that he expressed opposing views. I agreed with a lot that he had to say, yet it simply took me out of the book. That’s it. 

What is audiobook narration? Ken Jennings and Alex Trebek narrate the book with the former doing most of the work. I was a little disappointed in that, but knowing that Trebek had been going through chemotherapy and doing Jeopardy at the same time, it probably would have been more exhausting to record an audiobook too. Anyway, Jennings is a perfect choice to read the book not only because he’s the most famous person to come out of the quiz show, but he also has a smart, confident, but friendly voice and can be very funny with his deliveries. Trebek narrates the more intimate portions with the same style that he’s known for – a family member that relatives always look forward to seeing because they bring fun, joy, and knowledge.

All in all, The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek is an uplifting and engaging book that does exactly what sets out to do. He reminisces about his personal life and his time on Jeopardy like how I expected the smart and sassy Canadian would. Along with fans of the quiz show, I would recommend it to anybody who has an interest in knowing more about the host himself as well as to those who’ve been through or know someone going through cancer treatment. We’ll all miss him dearly, but the book helps to keep his legacy alive.

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The Hate U Give Movie Review

Warning: this review contains spoilers of the movie.

Shortly, after reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, I felt the need to watch the movie because A. the book was so good that I wanted to see how it was adapted, and B. I wanted to see films that didn’t involve solving the race issue by the end of it. Now that I have watched the flick, I can say that it retains the same emotional core as the book albeit with some good and not-so-good changes

Since the novel itself is nearly 450 pages, it’s not hard to see why Audrey Wells – the person who wrote the screenplay – had to condense the material into a movie that is a little over two hours. A good chunk of what happens in the book involves Starr waiting before getting interrogated by the police and later interviewed by a local news station. Those were cut out. Then, there were scenes that were given multiple pages, but only bits of screen time and even rearranged in the film. For example, in the book, the conversation among Starr, Seven, and Chris about how one is white occurs while they are trying to evade the rioting. In the flick, this exchange actually happens after they leave the prom and go to the Carter residence, so Chris can meet Starr’s parents. In the novel, Chris doesn’t meet Maverick and Lisa until Seven’s graduation party. Wells understood that that conversation needed to be retained for the movie, and while it effectively breaks up the tension in the book, it would have taken away the gravitas of the climatic rioting in the movie. 

In addition, certain elements were cut out entirely. The character Devante was in the book to show why Khalil would have ended up selling drugs as well as to display more of Maverick’s compassionate side as he tries to get him off the streets. I only felt his absence halfway into the movie because there were scenes that illustrate Maverick’s caring side, and they make it clear in the beginning that Khalil was selling drugs. In the novel, it is more ambiguous. Moreover, the Carter family moves out of Garden Heights into a nicer neighborhood in the book. In the film, they end up staying in Garden Heights, despite Lisa’s protests early on to move out. This drives home the points that they are still willing to help out their community despite its troubles and that Starr has become more comfortable with where she is from and how that will always be a part of her.

Also, there were scenes that were not in the book at all. At the end of the movie, Starr goes into Rosalia – Khalil’s grandmother’s house – to retrieve his Harry Potter wand. While this is absent from the book, it gives the audience a visual reminder that Starr will always remember Khalil and to speak out against injustice. Meanwhile, one of the most profound examples of this is Sekani – Starr’s little brother – pointing the gun at King after the latter tried to burn down the grocery store. As my mom and I were watching it, we were shocked and tried to figure out if that was in the book or not. As far as I remember, it wasn’t, but I get why it was in the film. It serves as a powerful visual representation of the THUG LIFE acronym that is echoed throughout both the novel and film.

On the other hand, there were some alterations that didn’t quite sit right with me. One of these is with the character Maya – Starr’s Asian friend. In the book, after Starr and Hailey have their huge fight, Maya confesses to the former that the latter had said some incredibly racist stuff while at her house for dinner. As a result, they form a pact to stand by each other’s side. In the movie, this is cut out. In fact, after the fight, Maya is seen rushing over to Hailey. This makes it seem that Maya is taking Hailey’s side, whereas in the book, this is not true at all. I’m not the first one to notice this, nor will I be the last. 

The biggest complaint that I have with this adaptation is how Khalil and the scene where he gets killed are depicted. In the novel, Khalil is portrayed as a nice and friendly guy who happens to own an expensive pair of Air Jordans. The movie makes him more of a life of the party who can come off as a douchebag at times. In addition, right before Khalil and Starr get pulled over, he tries to kiss her, which wasn’t in the book. Afterwards, Khalil says that someday, Starr will be with him. 

I’m sure that this was not what Wells was intending, but I think that this has to do something with the performance. A lot of the actors in this movie (including Amandla Stenberg as Starr and Russell Hornsby as Maverick) act the heck out of it, and it made me feel for them. The guy who played Khalil didn’t give me that because of his actions prior to the character’s death. It didn’t help that he was giving a very smug smile during his scenes. Another crucial change is that the officer who pulls them over actually gives an explanation why he did that. Now of course, I understand that there are some officers that will give vague statements of why they pull people over, and this was certainly the case. In addition, Khalil even reaches out for his hairbrush when he gets shot in the movie, while in the book, he simply moved just to see if Starr was okay. Along with Khalil not being complacent, these make him all the more blameworthy as much as I want to avoid victim blaming. I guess that Wells was trying to make the officer’s actions a little more justifiable, but in the end, it makes Khalil more responsible for his death. I mean the entire movie is about trying to speak out what truly happened that night. 

Overall, The Hate U Give movie is a very good adaptation of the book of the same name. There were some drastic changes, but most of them still retained the same emotional core as the novel. As I briefly mentioned, the acting was mostly top notch, who understood their characters very well. While the novel is in many ways better than the movie (as most who get film adaptations are), I would still definitely recommend watching it even if one hasn’t read the book. It’s a very important film that empathetically represents what’s happening now with the riots against police brutality. 

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Top 3 Best and Worst Books of 2020

Hello Everyone!!!!

Today is the last Monday of the year, so I figured that it’s time to do my very first year-end countdown of books that I reviewed in 2020!

There were so many good and not-so good titles that I read over this year, but six of them were stuck in my mind for better or for worse. To be clear, the novels that I will rank are ones that I originally reviewed this year, so no books from the Book Reviews From the Vault series.

So let’s get started with the Best Books that I reviewed in 2020!!

3. That’s Me Groucho!: The Solo Career of Groucho Marx by Matthew Coniam

I read That’s Me Groucho!: The Solo Career of Groucho Marx during the initial quarantine, and I was glued to it every second. Of course, being a Marx Brothers fan, I can see why a general reader might not be able to get into it as enthusiastically as I have. Despite that issue, Coniam does a great job researching the book and maintaining an objective view of the iconic comedian. Also, it contains a buttload of information that even diehards may not know about. So if you are looking for a present for a Marx Brothers fan, get them this book!

2. The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner

I normally don’t read a whole lot of suspense books, but Lisa Gardner made me want to read more titles in this genre with The Survivors Club. It contains some of the most unexpected twists and turns that I have ever encountered. It also helps that the novel has three-dimensional characters, a non-sugar coated and nuanced approach to the very sensitive subject of rape, and a great finale! It’s no wonder that Lisa Gardner is the “Queen of Suspense!”

1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

On one of the library Facebook groups that I’m in, someone had asked what books I read this year that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I answered The Hate U Give. This novel earns every praise that it has gotten with its diverse and realistic storytelling and characters. Although it’s a young adult book, anyone can read and enjoy it. Its portrayal of empathy is so impactful that people will be empowered to stand up for justice.

Alright, now let’s get to the worst!

3. Tangerine by Christine Mangan

As I mentioned in my 49-book ranking, I was originally going to put Tangerine as two stars because I was putting a lot of emphasis on the fact that George Clooney’s film company had acquired the film rights. Since then, this title has not been made into a film. This is an around-about way to say that I’m not sure if it will get adapted because the book is kind of dull. I get that the first two acts are a slow burn, but it could be very plodding at times. I would have tolerated that more if the ending was unpredictable in any way. It frustrated me until I realized who was the true protagonist. I still hold out for the film adaptation, but because of the source material, I’m afraid that it will be just as boring.

2. The Biggest Lie in the History of Christainity: How Modern Culture is Robbing Billions of People of Happiness by Matthew Kelly

Look at that title. See how inflammatory the words are. I had other issues with this book like no sources and a lack of an examination of Christian ideals, but none of those angered me as much as how it was worded. I don’t mind the bluntness of self-help books, but they have to be straight-forward without being condescending and stirring up feelings of anger and fear. Sadly, that’s how I felt about this title. I’m sure one can find more balanced self-help books on how to be a better Christian elsewhere. 

1. Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein

Final Jeopardy is on the list not because of how the author contributed to the Central Park Five case. If you want to frustrate me to the nth degree, all you have to do is take a potentially interesting scenario and make it as dry and boring as a Costco cake left out for too long, and that’s what this novel does. No further explanation is needed.

And that was the Top 3 Best and Worst Books of 2020! I hope all of you enjoyed it. I look forward to having plenty of new reviews for 2021! See you next year!

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Educated Book Review

I know that this is hard to believe, but there’s a reason why truth is stranger than fiction. With fiction, an author can make stuff up while getting into a character’s mind and analyze their actions. Truth doesn’t permit one to do that. When composing nonfiction, authors have to write about what actually happened, and sometimes what occurred can appear to be unbelievable. This was my mindset when reading Educated by Tara Westover – a memoir about her life growing up in a Mormon-survivalist family in Idaho and her education. Even though I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, it was a powerful, well written book that shows what education can be and the costs of getting one.

Specifically, Educated is a coming-of-age story about a woman who was born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho and her education. When Tara is 17, she steps into a classroom for the first time in her life since her father didn’t want her and her siblings to go to school. Over many years, she obtains degrees from Brigham Young University and Cambridge University, but it comes at the cost of severing ties with her fierce family.

Throughout the memoir, I couldn’t believe what had happened to the author and her family. They were mostly isolated from society to the point that along with school, she didn’t see a doctor until she went to college. There were a couple of instances where I literally thought that certain characters should have been dead after accidents in the junkyard and even an explosion. What makes this work is that Westover states these incidents and others in a matter of fact way. It’s clear that she has pondered what has happened to her a lot, no matter how good or bad it really was.

Speaking of that, because this book deals a lot with abuse, some readers have certain expectations of how it should be handled like how the person being mistreated should not act passive at all in the face of it. When Westover talks about this, especially at the hands of one of her older brothers, she recalls that she had to go along with it, so he wouldn’t hurt her further. She even blamed herself for it, so she could have control of the situation. She yearned for power so much that she treated her boyfriend at that time like crap. In hindsight, she realizes that none of that was healthy.

In fact, Westover portrays her family with respect and frankness. In a way, she admires her parents for being self-sufficient and even mostly supportive of her schooling, but at the same time, she wishes that they, especially her dad, would be more protective, especially with the van accidents and her brother’s abuse. I’d imagine how hard it would be to have parents who unknowingly put their children into danger and put their own values in front of supporting them. It’s this balance that makes the book easier to get through.

Another thing that Educated does well is that it keeps readers on their toes. If the book was at a calming point, then it would immediately hit you with another tragic event. I remember thinking to myself, “Tara can never catch a break, can she?”

Even at the very end of the book, I wanted to know how she was doing and whether or nor her family had come to terms with the abuse. Hence, I’ve been reading and watching plenty of interviews. SPOILERS: she’s fine, but her family has not. Even two of her siblings have written one-star reviews of her book on Goodreads.

Reading Educated also made me think of The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah. It too contained a lot of death experiences and abuse, but the difference is that the latter is fiction, therefore it was able to spare readers from the continuing horror, especially with the mom shooting the dad in the back after he was abusing the daughter. Although both moms were pretty subservient to a certain point, I’m pretty convinced that Tara’s mom would never have the courage to stand up against her husband.

Another connection that Educated has with The Great Alone is that both audiobooks are narrated by Julia Whelan. As I mentioned in my review of the latter, Whelan had won a lot of awards for voicing the former title, and I can see why. She matches the matter-of-fact tone of the memoir perfectly. When it comes to the voicing, she does a commendable job. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t paying that much attention to the voicing this time because the focus was primarily on Westover, so I actually let it slide if some of the characters sounded quite similar. However, I noticed that some of the male characters had plenty of vocal distinctions, something that I thought Whelan could have done better with the The Great Alone audiobook. For example, the dad and the brothers were voiced with a similar gruffness to the dad in The Great Alone, while Westover’s professors at BYU and Cambridge had more worried and refined voices. Whelan definitely deserved those awards.

Educated by Tara Westover is a highly inspirational book that might be hard to get through for some people. It’s very balanced in its viewpoints and will keep readers on their toes. I would definitely recommend it to those who haven’t already read it. Just a quick warning: please take breaks while reading it.

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What Am I Reading? – Chapter Four

Hi Everybody,

I hope you are doing well, especially with all of the Christmas shopping. I sure am. I got some things to mail out, and I’ll be good for this holiday season.

Like last time, I’m still reading What Was Your Name Downriver?: Tales of the Shattered Frontier by Anthony Lowe and White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. I’m also still reading Blowback by Brad Thor since I have to read one chapter at a time to get all of the details.

As a result, I only have one novel to talk about this time, and I’m almost done with it.

It’s light novel called The Curious Charms of Arthur Culpepper, wait no, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepperpot, sorry scroll down.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick is a curmudgeon novel. What do I mean by this? These kinds of books are usually about a stubborn person who has a certain way of living. Then, they go on a journey (physically and emotionally) to discover more about themselves and that there are people who truly care about them, resulting in them opening up to the world around them.

In this case, Arthur has a strict routine, which involves getting up at 7:30am, wearing the same pair of pants and vest, watering his plant named Frederica, and gardening. On the one-year anniversary of Miriam’s – his wife – death, he discovers a charm bracelet that he’s never seen before. Each of the charms tells a different story of her life before she met him. To feed his curiosity, Arthur goes on a journey to various places like London, Paris, and even India to find out his wife’s past life, and in the process, he discovers hope, healing, and more about himself.

I’ve read other curmudgeon novels in the past like A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, so at first, I wondered how The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper was going to stand out. Luckily, unlike the titular characters of those two books, Arthur is a parent who spent a lot of time traveling for work, resulting in him being emotionally distant from his two now adult children. I like how the novel shows the consequences of behaving this way and how it affects his kids, especially his daughter Lucy. Also, some of the characters that Arthur meets along the way are pretty colorful like his seemingly obnoxious, but gregarious neighbor Bernadette, the tiger loving Lord Graystock, and Mike – a caring homeless man.

I’ve been listening to the audiobook, which is narrated by James Langton. Since the book mostly takes place in York, England, he does a good Yorkshire accent for the male characters with enough differences to make each character distinct. I can’t say the same thing for most of the women. They all sound dangerously close to Eric Idle impersonating a Yorkshire grandmother. I tolerated this when Langton is voicing older women, but not younger ones like Lucy.

I’ll save the rest of my feelings for the full review.

And that, we come to the end of the fourth chapter of “What Am I Reading?”

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Then She Was Gone Book Review

For a while on this website, I’ve been reviewing suspense books, specifically ones with the “missing person” trope. Even though those novels were good, I’m kind of getting bored, especially if I know what the outcome is going to be a third of the way in. However, I recently read Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell – another book that falls under that category, but its characters and twists make it worthwhile.

In Then She Was Gone, a 15-year-old girl named Ellie Mack – the apple of her family’s eye – goes missing. Ten years later, her recently divorced mother Laurel is trying to put her life back together when she meets Floyd Dunn in a café. Soon after, they start dating, and she meets his daughters. One of whom is his youngest Poppy, who looks a lot like Ellie. Unanswered questions that Laurel had tried to bury rise up as well as new ones about Floyd and Poppy. In other words, the book is like The Child by Fiona Barton if it had mainly focused on how Angela and her family dealt with the disappearance and how she fell apart because of it.

The characters were pretty realistic, especially Laurel and Noelle Donnelly. Readers get to see how the family dynamic fell apart after Ellie vanished. Jewell portrays Laurel sympathetically, yet at the same time, the author acknowledges that she has some flaws like favoring Ellie over her other daughter Hanna during the former’s lifetime. This leads to a strained relationship with the latter. Meanwhile, Noelle Donnelly – Ellie’s former math tutor – is seen as mentally unstable, yet Jewell gives her a backstory with her only sister dying at a young age. As a result, her family misses her sister more than they acknowledge Noelle’s own existence. While readers would disagree with Noelle’s actions during the course of the novel, they can at least understand where she’s coming from. It also provides an outcome for Hanna if Laurel kept wallowing in her own misery because of the loss of Ellie.

Much like The Child, I thought I had the outcome of Then She Was Gone figured out a third way through. However, two-thirds in, the book fulfilled and defied my expectations. I was completely shocked! It was what I expected and much worse. I’m not going to spoil it. All I will say is that twists like that would likely make Lisa Gardner proud.

I understand that some readers have complaints about the logistics of the investigation and how Noelle did what she did, yet one of my complaints is that it started off pretty slow with its exposition. Once Laurel meets Floyd in the café, the pacing picks up pretty quickly. The other is the structure itself. It’s divided into six parts with no real reason for doing so. Each of the sections contain different narrators and jump between timelines. I was so confused that I wished that Jewell would have eliminated those six parts altogether.

I enjoyed the audiobook spoken by English actress, comedian, and narrator Helen Duff. Duff has narrated several of Jewell’s novels, and I can see why. She creates pretty distinct characters vocally like having Laurel with an older Cate Blanchett type of voice, Poppy with a spunky and clever tone, Noelle with a thick loner Irish dialect, Hannah with a very moody and disinterested attitude, and Floyd with a slightly eerie and sexy anglicized American accent. I had no trouble figuring out who was talking and feeling for them.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell is a really good “missing person” book. It takes what we expect from it and adds so much more even to a regular reader’s disbelief. The novel also contains relatable characters and ones that people can express empathy towards even if they don’t agree with their actions. This book is available in print, as an audiobook, and on Hoopla and Overdrive. It’s definitely for the Gone Girl crowd as well as for those who love suspense and want a little something more in their “missing person” stories.

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What Am I Reading? – Chapter Three

Hi Everybody,

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I sure did! While I wasn’t feasting, I did other things like finish The Gown by Jennifer Robson! Woo hoo! Look for that review sometime during next year’s wedding season 🙂

As I have mentioned before, I’m a slow reader. As of now, I’m still reading What Was Your Name Downriver?: Tales of the Shattered Frontier by Anthony Lowe and White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo.

As a result, I only have one novel that I have on the reading block this time around. It’s over 600 pages, so don’t expect a review of this one until the second half of next year because I will be reading this for a quite awhile.

You still want to know what it is?

Here it is!

Blowback by Brad Thor is the fourth book in the Scot Harvath series that was originally published in 2005. In this novel, Harvath’s counterterrorism career has crashed and burned, but wait, the president brings him back after the war on terror takes a chilling turn. Underneath an Alpine glacier, a weapon that was designed to destroy the Roman Empire has been discovered. It’s up to Harvath to retrieve this ultimate weapon of mass destruction before another organization takes it and uses for America’s downfall.

Judging by the summary and from I’ve read of it so far, it seem like it’s one of those action packed thrillers that one needs to pay attention to. About a month ago, I finished another one of these books – Nighthawk by Clive Cussler. All I will say of that title is that it was captivating as long as one stayed awake to catch all the details. This is why I’m going to take my time with Blowback.

And that, we come to the end of the third chapter of “What Am I Reading?”

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Clock Dance Book Review

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how books don’t always have to have bells and whistles to keep readers interested. I mean, if people enjoy reading action-packed novels, good for them! All I am saying is that every now and then, it’s good to sit down and read something that doesn’t rely on distractions to hold people’s attentions.  This allows them to focus on the plot, the characters, and what they go through, and when done right, it can be quite impactful. Case in point: Clock Dance by Anne Tyler.

Clock Dance is about one woman’s transformative journey. Willa Drake is a woman who lets things happen around her. In 1967, she’s a schoolgirl dealing with her mother’s emotional rollercoasters. In 1977, she’s a college student considering a marriage proposal despite the future that she wants for herself. In 1997, she’s dealing with becoming a widow despite the fact that her husband and sons paved her life for her, and in 2017, she yearns to have relationships with her sons and to be a grandmother. One day, she gets a call from a stranger, and before she knows it, she flies to Baltimore to look after her son’s ex-girlfriend – a woman she has never met, her nine-year-old daughter, and their dog. The experience shows her that she still has a chance to dance through life as opposed to going at it slantwise.

After looking at discussion questions for this novel, I knew that it wasn’t going to have a lot of conflict. For some, conflict is what drives the book as well as their interest in it, but in the case of Clock Dance, the drive is Willa’s transformation. Readers who love it were drawn into seeing the protagonist become a more assertive person who has an actual say with what she does in her life. However, not all books can deal with little conflict. Imagine The Great Alone without the abusive father coming to Alaska. That automatically eliminates a lot of conflict, and it would change the tone and even the story entirely. The reason that Clock Dance is able to get away with this is that Tyler (from what I know) constantly writes about everyday people. These people don’t always deal with conflict, yet when they do, it’s not always extreme. In Clock Dance, the conflict is more subtle and internal (as opposed to external) with Willa being divided on doing things for herself versus for others who don’t appreciate her efforts.

What is also subtle is the writing. There were plenty of instances, in which readers would need to put the two together. For example, Willa’s sister Elaine calls, and she mentions how Peter – Willa’s current husband – is doing. However, she accidentally calls him Derek – Willa’s first one; she says, “…same difference really, right?” (p. 265).

As readers might see, Peter and Derek are similar people. Both want Willa to do things for them with little thought to how it would affect her. Elaine’s dialogue displays an indirect acknowledgement of that.

Now let’s talk about Willa. She starts off pretty passive, but being that way is not always a bad thing in books. Jessi Jezewska Stevens – author of The Exhibition of Persephone Q – wrote an article for LitHub promoting the idea of the passive protagonist. She uses the example of Candide in Voltaire’s book of that name. Candide is wholly optimistic and yearns to live in the “best of all possible worlds” despite being thrown into a series of violent misfortunes. However, once he is on the quest, he becomes less passive. Tyler is able to have Willa be passive in the beginning of Clock Dance, for nearly 100 pages is devoted to the character’s backstory. And the book is not even 300 pages long. Overtime, she realizes that she can have a life of her own and have a family – a cast of colorful neighbors -that does not take her for granted.

All in all, Clock Dane by Anne Tyler is a very good example of how to write a book with little conflict. Readers will know why Willa is the way that she is, and she goes through a subtle transformative journey that I’m sure people can relate to. I would recommend this to Anne Tyler fans as well as to readers who want a lighter read. However, that kind of read doesn’t always mean sacrificing depth and impact.

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What Am I Reading? – Chapter Two

Hi Everybody,

I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter of “What Am I Reading?” I actually got done with two of the books that I talked about. What better to do than to add two more titles!

Let’s get started!

The first novel on the reading block is The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson. It’s a historical fiction book that takes place in 1947 London, and it’s about two embroiderers – Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin – who are chosen to take part in creating Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown. Meanwhile, in 2016 Toronto, Heather Mackenzie tries to unravel a mystery of a set of embroidered flowers that her grandmother possessed. It just so happens that they resemble quite closely to the ones seen on Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress.

I literally started this book today, and so far, it’s pretty interesting. I feel like it’s one of those novels that grabs people’s attention by simply describing or showing a dress, yet it will show that it’s more than that. I have a similar reaction every time I think of the times that I watched Gone With the Wind. I can’t wait to see where it takes these storylines. Also, I have to point out that The Gown is a great title. Usually, whenever I see titles that have “The _____”, I make fun them because of how vague they are (see The Child review for reference). However, in this case, that title signifies importance of a specific dress. Also, I enjoy saying “The Gown” like an artistic movie director describing their mindsets while filming.

Marisa Calin narrates the audiobook, and so far, she does a great job of maintaining English, French, and Canadian accents.

The second and last book on the reading block is White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (a white woman). This talks about white fragility – defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, how it protects racial inequality, and what can be done in order to have meaningful conversations about race.

As I have mentioned in my The Hate U Give book review, many people have decided to read books to understand racial prejudice against black people. This was part of the reason why I wanted to read this specific title. Another reason was that I have seen both praise and criticism of how the book handles its very “sensitive” topic, and I would like to see where both sides are coming from. So far, the book is informative with a lot cited sources, but as a warning, this is written for white people for good reasons.

And that, we come to the end of the second chapter of “What Am I Reading?”

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