January 2018 Book Review

The book I will be reviewing this month is We're Going To Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union.

This is another book where I didn't know who the author was but I saw her in an interview and she got my attention.  In my mind I knew I would read and review this book and, also in my mind, I had the review written before I got the email from the library telling me the book was available.

After I finished reading the book I felt there was an unintended message in the book that needs to be talked about.  Based on what she said in the interview I thought the book would be inspiring and an "every woman" book.  What it is is a black woman's book - I would even go so far as to say an angry black woman's book.  I wasn't expecting that. 

She doesn't hold anything back either.  She goes deep and unapologetically lays it all out there.  She talks about growing up in a predominantly white community and trying to pretend she was white as well, going so far as to snub other black students who enrolled in her school.  Her parents had told her that to be successful she would have to work harder than anyone else and she would have others take credit for her work.  It's a message some of us have heard before but she was told this because her skin color would hold her back.

She talked about a guest appearance she made on a sitcom.  The director came over to her and told her they'd need her to stand on a mark and went on to explain that this allowed the cameras to keep her in the shot.  She took offense to this because she believed he did this because he thought she was stupid because she was black.  She then went on to talk about all the things she had accomplished up to that guest appearance and compared it to the "lack luster" accomplishments of the white stars of the show she was appearing on.  It was clear that she wasn't over the incident, even though it happened more than fifteen years ago.

Later in the book she talked about having to teach her sons about what they could and couldn't do because of their skin color.  She had talked about this in her interview and it broke my heart and was one of the reasons I wanted to read the book.  If I had been asked a couple of years ago about racism in this country I would have said it was dying.  But because of the events of the last couple of years, I now know that's just wishful thinking.

The conversation, as I've heard it, has always been about the racists though.  It's been that racists aren't born, they're taught to be that way.  In reading this book though, I feel that there needs to be a conversation on the other side as well.  Black babies aren't born believing that their skin color puts them at a disadvantage, that's something that's taught as well.  And maybe that is a conversation that's happening but if it's not, it should be.  Gabrielle was upfront with what she had been brought up to believe (work twice as hard so someone else can take credit for your accomplishments) and it was stated as if it were fact and not something that was wrong with the system.

Given the climate we currently live in I know that dramatic changes are unlikely in the near future but we've got to stop teaching our kids that skin color matters because it doesn't and shouldn't.  I didn't go into reading this book thinking I was reading a black woman's story but that is what I read and while I don't know that I could say this book was for everyone, I did feel that there was a message in it worth sharing that made it my pick for reviewing this month.

For more reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com

December 2017 Book Review

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@Barrie Summy

I've been writing my reviews a month or two in advance so when I email Barrie my selection for the month, it's usually ready to go.  This month she let me know that in March Sarah Laurence had reviewed the book I'm reviewing this month.  You can read her review here.  She wrote a very lovely review and it's spot on about the book.  My take was a bit different because I had a different expectation going in, based on the title.  I still enjoyed the book enough to make it my pick for this month but if my review doesn't sell you on the book, Sarah's will!  That all said . . .

This month I will be reviewing Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness.  This book was a New York Times bestseller written by an author who was won a number of awards and honors, including a lifetime achievement award from the Humane Society of the United States and the New England Booksellers Association.

I volunteer at a local zoo and we started a book club recently and this was the first book for our group to read and discuss (it was decided that all books would be animal focused, given we're all zoo volunteers).  It was presented as one we could use to learn information about an animal we have at the zoo and therefore share more information with our visitors.  Given the title and how it was presented to the group I thought I would learn tons of information about octopuses (turns out that is the correct plural for an octopus).

While I did learn some new information about octopuses, the book was more of a recounting of the author's experiences with octopuses, primarily at the New England Aquarium in Boston.  It was interesting to hear the personality descriptions of the different octopuses she got to know and be around.  Most are very curious creatures and a lot of the descriptions reminded me of a small child discovering new things and having new experiences.  From that aspect, I did enjoy the book.

From the perspective of I was excited to learn tons of new things about the octopus, it was a bit disappointing.  The author did not have enough information about the octopus to fill an entire book so she filled the book by sharing stories about unrelated adventures she's had, personal information about the people she got to know while visiting the Aquarium and a whole chapter (30+ pages!) on her getting her SCUBA diving certification so she could see octopuses in the wild.  (It's worth noting that I did enjoy this chapter, it just wasn't octopus specific and seemed like filler, given the title of the book.)

The Aquarium doesn't breed its octopuses so there isn't a steady flow of octopuses to fill their octopus exhibit.  This means that every octopus they have has been taken from the wild for this purpose.  The author doesn't address the concerns over this other than to say that there is an abundance of octopuses in the ocean and this use of them does not hurt their status.  But it did make me think.  I have struggled with animals being kept in captivity but feel slightly better that the zoo I volunteer at doesn't remove animals from the wild.  The animals we have were either born in captivity and know no other life, were injured and can no longer survive in the wild, or were captured by others and then later had to be surrendered and placed at our zoo.  Animals that have been injured and can be rehabilitated and returned to the wild are returned to the wild.  The Aquarium this book focuses on, however, takes the octopus from the wild for the soul purpose of drawing a crowd to see it.  The author described a situation where one octopus died suddenly (they only have one at a time) and there was a desperate need for a new one because they HAD to have one on exhibit. That process was disturbing to me and tainted my enjoyment of the rest of the book - but I did finish it!  And there are a lot of sweet stories about the individual octopuses. I can't give it a wholehearted "must have" recommendation for the reasons I mentioned but if you love animals and would like to learn a bit more about the octopus, you might enjoy this book.

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November 2017 Book Review

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@Barrie Summy

This month I will be reviewing Eileen Cook's THE HANGING GIRL.  I've been a fan of Ms. Cook's for years and she's never disappointed.  But I have to say I was not expecting this book. And I mean that in the best way possible.  It is a great book and I highly recommend it.

I'm at a loss for words though because I just finished the book and I was not expecting the final twist the book ended on.  I did not see it coming - at all.

The book has a bit of everything in it.  There's a paranormal element to it (sort of), with some mystery and thriller added into it as well.

As with all her books, Ms. Cook told a great story and tied up all the loose ends nicely.  It was very well written but it is different from other books she's written.  I'm convinced there isn't a genre that she couldn't write and be successful in.  This was yet another good book by Eileen Cook.

The blurb for the book:

Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

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Sleeping with a Night Light

I've had a doggy door for my dogs for more than 15 years now.  I didn't get it so I could be lazy about taking my dogs out but rather so they didn't have to wait for me to go out.  That said, I will admit to enjoying its convenience over the years.

Fast forward to a few years ago.  My sweet dog, Harley, got very sick.  He stopped going outside to eliminate and he wasn't eliminating inside either.  I got very concerned and started dragging (literally!) him outside to try to encourage him to do his business.  If he did do anything, I gave him a treat.  Well, that caused a bad learned behavior when he got better to where he didn't (and to this day doesn't) want to go out without me because there was/is food involved if he did/does something.  He only goes out without me if 1) it's a sudden "urgent' need to go out; 2) I'm out cold asleep or not home; or 3) I don't get up to go out with him until it reaches the "urgent" need to go out. 

That said, I will usually go out with him anyway because now I track what he's doing so I know everything is working well and I document it, in case I need it later.  Then, a few days ago, he went out without me.  I decided to follow him out so I could document what he was doing and sat on the little "stoop" at the back door like I usually do.

We have this family of frogs that visits us quite often so I wasn't alarmed when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.  I'm not afraid of frogs or anything but I do like knowing where they are so that I'm not startled if they move closer to me.  So I looked over to where the movement had taken place.  Only it wasn't a frog . . . it was a snake!  And not only was it "next" to me, part of it was actually UNDER me!

Unlike frogs, I AM afraid of snakes as in deathly afraid of snakes!  When I saw the snake I screamed and suddenly (although I have no memory of moving) found myself on the other side of the patio.  I stood there a moment trying to figure out what to do.  Did I go in and get a shovel or hoe and try to kill it?  Did I go get my camera to take a picture of it so I could show it to people to identify the kind of snake?  And how did I do either of those things with the snake between me and my house?

I finally decided to chance it and run in the house.  I opted for the camera, I guess because it was closer.  By the time I got back outside it was climbing between my walls.  I snapped the picture and then stupidly decided to try to coax it back out of the path it was taking into my walls by using a long tree limb.  When I touched it instead of coming back out of the wall, it scampered in more quickly.  It probably would've ended up between my walls anyway but I ensured that it did and more quickly at that.

I immediately came in and called my stepfather and emailed him the picture.  He assured me that it's a non-poisonous snake but I really don't care - I want it gone.  Thing is, I haven't seen it since it crawled between my walls.  Logic tells me that it's long gone by now but my irrational fear of snakes tells me it could show up anywhere in my house at any second.  I can't get near cabinets without checking for a snake.  I can't crawl in bed without checking under the pillows and covers first.  And, I can't sleep without a light on so that I'm not getting up in total darkness where I couldn't see the snake slithering by.

So, if you drive by my house and see a light on in the middle of the night, it doesn't necessarily mean I'm still up, it just means I'm still traumatized by my experience with a snake who may or may not still be somewhere in my house.

October 2017 Book Review

It's time for another book review and this month I will be reviewing Kim Gruenenfelder's Love the Wine You're With.

I'm a HUGE fan of Ms. Gruenenfelder's work and preordered this book almost THREE YEARS AGO so was like a child on Christmas morning when it finally got released and I got the email that it was on its way to me.

As with her other books, this is a book about friendships and trials and tribulations you go through in life and with your friends.  It's also told in first person POV for each or the characters, in alternating chapters so you get a good perspective of each of the characters.  Once again she told a story where I had no idea who love interests were supposed to be and even though that's typically a deal breaker for me in a book, it didn't bother me in this book . . . something about the way she tells the story.  It makes me think about how people talk about head hopping in writing and how no one but Nora Roberts can do it without it being distracting.  Kim Gruenenfelder can keep me guessing who the love interests are until the final page and I don't care - I just enjoy the ride.  :)

I was going to tell a bit about the characters and the storyline but found that the amazon blurb did it better than I could have so here is the amazon blurb on this book:

Jessie is finally about to realize her life-long goal of owning her own house, the first step to a wonderful marriage, kids, and life with her boyfriend of three years, Kevin; except after they find the perfect place, Kevin suddenly gets cold feet.

Nat is having a passionate affair with her gorgeous British boss Marc—unfortunately, he’s married. Now what?

Holly is an actress who still waits tables to pay the bills, and who is coping with the recent loss of her father. A particularly bad audition, where she snaps and tells off a big director, leads her to wonder what to do when you stop loving what you do. (And also what to do about her hot neighbor. Because, you know, hot neighbor.)

After each girl finishes a particularly awful workday, the three friends meet at their favorite wine bar, which has been sold by its owner for a huge profit and will close that night. In a moment of tipsy brazenness, Jessie suggests that the three of them open their own wine bar in the gentrifying Echo Park area of Los Angeles. An unapologetically girly place for good wine and good friends—which leads to a challenge for each woman: how do you fix a life that’s not actually broken, but needs an upgrade?

This book was fun and funny and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning finishing it because I couldn't put it down.  It took almost three years to get to me but it was definitely worth the wait!  I highly recommend this book.

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September 2017 Book Review

This month I have a 2-fer book review.  Both are about the same topic - Chris McCandless - a young man who ventured out on his own at age 22, only to die 27 months later.

I first heard of the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer through Jessica Brody's Free Book Friday website.  While I entered the contest to win a copy, I had a copy from the library before the results were announced (I didn't win).  After I finished reading the book I immediately borrowed an eBook from my library of The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless.  I read both books within a three day period.

The blurb that caught my attention (there is a much longer "blurb" on amazon) was this:

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter.  How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Before I get into the specifics of my review, I would like to point out that I enjoyed Into the Wild enough that I purchased a copy and had it sent to my stepfather.  The only reason I didn't do that with The Wild Truth too is that I didn't feel it would appeal to my stepfather but I would definitely still recommend it to others.

Okay, that all said, Jon Krakauer is a journalist.  When Chris' body was discovered in Alaska he was tasked with writing an article for the magazine he worked for.  He had a hard deadline so it wasn't as in depth as he would've liked. The article garnered international attention and received more mail than any other article every had in the history of the magazine (I believe that record still holds to this day).  That, combined with his own interest in nature outings, caused him to want to dig deeper into the story.  He sought (and got) the permission and cooperation from Chris' family to write the story of Chris' journey.  To do so, he used journals that Chris had kept about his adventures, as well as pictures he had taken along the way. Because of this, he was able to meet with and interview many of the people that Chris had encountered along the way.  In this way he was able to piece together the events that made up most of the last 27 months of Chris' life.

As for the writing of the book, Krakauer is a good writer.  However, there wasn't enough material to fill an entire book.  Because of this there are several chapters dedicated to other "adventurers" with some small comparisons to Chris' adventures.  Two whole chapters are dedicated to Krakauer's own adventure in the wild.  From that perspective, I found the book to be a bit self serving.  There are times in the book where he is setting the scene with much description and atmospheric language.  None of this relates to Chris' story other than it sets up the environment of an interview he had with someone who met Chris along the way.  It was a bit distracting and unnecessary, in my opinion. But, as I said, I liked the book enough that I had a copy sent to my stepfather.

The Wild Truth is written by Chris' sister, Carine McCandless, and was published eighteen years after Krakauer's book.  It doesn't speak much to Chris' travels but rather gives some insight into what made him abandon his life and go out on his own.  According to Carine, she and Chris were brought up in a very abusive household.  She goes into great detail about the abuse and why she had asked Krakauer not to disclose the abuse.  At about the halfway mark in the book is when she learns about Chris' death. The rest of the book details events that brought her to the point of telling of the abuse and how it impacted Chris and his life decisions as well as her own.  Like Krakauer, Carine is a good writer.  That said, as with Krakauer's book, I felt this one was a bit self serving but I also understand why she may have felt the need to tell this side of the story.

Regarding the abuse Carine details in the book, I believed everything she wrote about it.  Any doubt I had about it was removed when I saw the pictures that were included in the book (Into the Wild did not have pictures).  Chris looks unhappy in all the pictures from his childhood up until the last picture taken on the night he graduated from college - just before he left and broke ties with his family.  Chris had taken a camera with him and there were many photos of himself as well as pictures of himself with others.  He looks happy in all of those pictures.  The last picture taken of him was believed to be taken within days of his death.  He was holding up a sign in the picture that reads: I have had a happy life.  Goodbye.  God Bless All - and he was smiling and looked happy in the picture.  By that point he knew he wasn't making it out alive but he was at peace and genuinely looked happy.  So, I believe Carine's claims of abuse.

I did want to touch on one topic that was rather interesting to me.  The blurb for Into the Wild mentions that Chris abandoned his car, which is a bit misleading.  He had driven his car into a governmental area marked with NO TRESPASSING signs so when it wouldn't start for him, he wasn't in a position to seek help.  He left a sign on it saying that whoever could get it out could have it.  He'd removed the license plates and the VIN took authorities to the rental car establishment Chris had bought it from and since they didn't want it back, the car was used in undercover operations for many years after Chris left it behind.  :)

Reading both books gave a more clear picture as to what happened to Chris McCandless than either did on their own but I could recommend either without hesitation.

For more reviews, go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

May 2017 Book Review

With my reading of Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot I believe I've read all of her books now.  And because I LOVED What Alice Forgot, it is the book I will be reviewing this month.

It starts out with Alice dreaming about being in a pool and her toenails are all painted a different color, as are the person who is next to her in the pool.  It's a peaceful dream but suddenly someone from the real world is calling out to her and won't let up.  This is when she finds herself surrounded by people as she lays next to a stationery bicycle in a gym.  She's being told that she fell off the bike and hit her head but it doesn't make sense to her because she doesn't go to the gym, much less work out!

As she's being wheeled out of the gym, people she doesn't know are making comments that make no sense to her.  And her big concern is for the baby she is carrying.

She calls her sister who seems standoffish to her and the secretary at her husband's office is downright rude to her and she doesn't understand why.  When her sister arrives at the hospital she notices that her sister looks . . . old.  This is when she is told that it is ten years later than she thinks it is.  Not only is she not pregnant, she has three children - that she doesn't remember.  And she's going through a very contentious divorce.

Last month I reviewed a time travel book and this was kind of like that, but in a different way.  Alice hadn't really traveled through time but her mind was stuck ten years in the past.  "Watching" her go through this was fun because she was so sweet and innocent.  But, through the interactions with the people she loved, you discover that maybe in the present time, Alice isn't this sweet and innocent person anymore.

At one point I found myself comparing What Alice Forgot to the movie Regarding Henry, starring Harrison Ford (I love this movie!).  In that movie Henry (Harrison Ford) is a corrupt, heartless attorney until he is shot in the head and loses his memory.  He becomes this endearing, gentle man that you just want to hug and take care of.  With Alice you don't know what caused her to be the way she is because she doesn't remember and no one is telling her but I felt the same way about her as I did Henry.

Then, I started thinking about the changes that I've been through in the last ten years.  A lot has changed.  I've lost two of the three dogs I had ten years ago.  Instead of going into an office daily, I volunteer once or twice a week.  There have been major physical changes to my body.  Relationship changes.  Things that would be difficult to process.  But, like Alice, if I woke up next to a stationery bike at a gym and told I'd fallen off of it, I too would wonder, when did I start going to the gym?  :)

In any event, I very much enjoyed this book and reading about Alice's journey over the past ten years as she slowly gets her memory back.  I highly recommend this book.

For more book reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

April 2017 Book Review

This month I will be reviewing Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard.

The amazon blurb says:

To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips, conks her head, and wakes up in the year 1815!

There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily's family, Callie warms to them, particularly to Emily's cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.

But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex's heart, before her time in the past is up?

More Cabot than Ibbotson, Prada and Prejudice is a high-concept romantic comedy about finding friendship and love in the past in order to have happiness in the present.

I've always enjoyed time travel books because it's fun to see how and what the characters respond to in the time they've been transported to.  In Callie's case, when she wakes up in 1815 her first thought is that someone must have moved her to a wooded area because she's no longer in front of the Prada shop where she'd purchased her shoes.  She starts walking until she comes to a house - a castle really - and finds herself in a "home" that doesn't have phones, electricity or indoor plumbing.  She doesn't immediately understand that she's been transported to another time, instead she believes that the occupants of the home are eccentric and are "play acting" that they live in the past.  And she thinks they've taken it a bit too far!  :)

Once she realizes that she's the one that's out of place, she tries to figure out what her "mission" is that will enable her to return home to the twenty first century.  In the process she crosses the line of proper etiquette and jumps to the wrong conclusion in several instances, in a fun and loveable way though.  :)

This was a quick fun read for me.  The only issue I had was the chapter breaks.  In a lot of instances they seemed misplaced.  There's a season finale of How I Met Your Mother where Barney says "It's gonna be Legen . . . wait for it" and the next season opened with him saying "dary".  That's what the chapter breaks reminded me of because it felt like it should've been all done at the end of the one chapter and started fresh on the next one.  And at least once there was an instance where I thought it was a perfect spot for a chapter break but there wasn't even a paragraph break.  But other than that, it was very fluid and easy to read.  I'd definitely recommend it!

For more book reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

March 2017 Book Review

This month I will be reviewing Trevor Noah's Born a Crime.  That I came to know about this book is a pure fluke.  It's another situation where I had recorded a talk show and watched an interview of someone I had never heard of before and they talked about their book.  Normally I would fast forward through the interviews of the individuals I didn't know (or had no interest in) but for some reason I didn't do that in this instance.

I'll be honest, what drew me in was the fact that he's from Africa.  For the last couple of years I've been fascinated by all things Africa and have been reading books, watching movies and documentaries and doing whatever else I could to get information about Africa.  So, when I heard he was from Africa and that because of the laws and traditions in South Africa, his birth was a crime, I immediately put the eBook on hold at my local library.

I waited months for it to become available and almost didn't check it out when I was told it was available because I was back to feeling that I had no idea who this person was and wasn't sure I wanted to invest my time into reading his story.  My fascination with Africa won out though and I'm glad it did.

This is a story about a young man who had the odds stacked against him.  His mother wanted a child but didn't - at the time - want to be burdened with a husband so she made an arrangement with a friend for him to father a child with her.  The problem was, he was white and she was black and the act of sex between the races was illegal.  As a result, special care was taken when they were in public to hide the truth of who his parents were because otherwise his parents were subject to criminal charges.

The book is written in an interesting way in that he starts each chapter off giving information about what was going on in South Africa at a particular time and then follows it up with an applicable story from his life.  In reading this book I discovered that Trevor Noah is an incredibly intelligent and funny person who grew up with an amazing mother.  His mother is someone who refused to be held back by her gender or her race and she taught Trevor to push his boundaries and not limit himself to what others might put on him.  And the love between the two is evident in this book.  I very much enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend it.

For more book reviews, go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

February Book Review

This month I will be reviewing Suzanne Finstad's Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood.

This is the story of Natalie Wood's life, starting before she was born when her mother immigrated to the US.  She was already married and had one child, Olga.  Her husband had come before her and informed her he had a mistress when she arrived.  After some time her mother, Maria, divorced her first husband and took up with two other men, eventually marrying Natalie's father while also keeping her affair going with the other man.

Natalie's mother had seen a fortune teller who had told her that her second child would be known around the world and would be beautiful.  When Natalie was born, she did everything in her power to make sure the fortune she had been told came true.  She was the driving force behind Natalie's career, at least when she was younger.  She would lie and manipulate whoever she had to - including Natalie - to get Natalie parts in film.  The fortune teller had also said that she - Maria - would die by drowning in dark waters.  Maria imparted that information in such a way that Natalie grew up believing that is how she would die and was deathly afraid of the water for her entire life.  Yet, when parts came up that required Natalie to get into water, her mother would force her because otherwise "she would lose the part".  Her mother had also told her that she was too small to have children and if she ever sat on a man's lap she would become pregnant.  She did this in an effort to make Natalie afraid of men so that she'd always be with Maria.  She would use traumatizing events and acts to manipulate Natalie so that Natalie grew up very superstitious and fearful of so many things.  It was heartbreaking to read a lot of what her mother did to her.  And her focus was so much on Natalie that the rest of her family suffered.  For much of Natalie's life, she was the sole support for her entire family and she felt the responsibility for that at a very young age.

The author wrote this book after doing interviews with "more than 400 people" who knew Natalie - her friends and even her family.  With very rare exception, everyone who met Natalie adored her.  The few that didn't necessarily feel that way had more of a feeling that she was standoffish on a particular set but those close to her would say that it was a difficult time for her or that she was insecure about the role.  Like I said, most people thought the world of Natalie.

Robert Wagner was noted as having not participated, despite several attempts on the author's part to interview him.  It's worth noting that Mr. Wagner has said that there are things in the book that are "fabricated" and that on two separate occasions in the book the author states that "through his reps" Mr. Wagner denies specific things included in the book.

That's one of the things that made the book ring more true to me.  Anytime there were conflicting "recollections" of events or periods in Natalie's life, the author included all sides of the argument, so to speak.  It wasn't a one-sided "this is what I believe" kind of book. 

She goes in great detail about the events leading up to Natalie's death.  She points out that one witness came forward when there was the possibility of monetary gain but also that Robert Wagner hasn't ever publicly disputed the accusations made by this witness.  Ultimately she let's the reader draw their own conclusion, not just about her death but about her life.  It was a very interesting read for me.  It was by no means a fast read but it was one that had my interest from the beginning to the end.  I would definitely recommend it.

For more book reviews, go to barriesummy.blogspot.com

Technology and Social Media

I read two news articles yesterday that deeply disturbed me.  They both concerned technology and social media outlets.

One of the stories had to do with Carrie Fisher's medical emergency during a flight to Los Angeles from London.  TMZ was the first to report the story saying that she'd had a heart attack and had stopped breathing for ten minutes.  They said that there were EMTs onboard who performed CPR on her until the plane landed and she could be taken to the hospital.  They listed her in critical condition.  They got this information from tweets that had been posted from the airplane.  And that's where my issue with this comes into play.  The person (or persons) that tweeted about it had several options available to them and the one they chose was to exploit someone's medical emergency, possibly because the person with the medical emergency was a celebrity, I don't know.  Whatever their reasons, it makes me sick.  What bothers me more is the belief that someone, somewhere, has a video of the incident.  Maybe they've already posted it online but it wasn't known before the report I read was posted.  Or, maybe it's being shopped around to the highest bidder.  Who knows?  But, sadly, that's what our society has come to.

There was a time when people would stop and render aid to someone in need.  Somewhere along the way people became more passive and walk by someone in need because they didn't want to get involved.  However, with today's technological advances we've gone back to stopping when we see people in need.  We don't, however, render aid.  No, instead, we video their misery and post it online and feel justified in doing so.  I just don't get that.  When did we lose our humanity and good will towards our neighbors?

The other story that I read had to do with someone hacking Lucy Hale's phone, stealing topless photos from it and posting them online.  She addressed it basically saying that another female celebrity had been violated and stolen from and she didn't appreciate it.  She made no apologies for having these photos saying that she had a right to live her life the way she wanted to. She thanked her fans for their support and told whoever did this to kiss her ass.  All in all, I liked what she had to say.  My biggest issue was with one of the comments to the story.  It said that anyone with a computer and internet had no expectation of privacy.  Excuse me?  Seriously???!!!?!  Because I have a computer and internet means that ANYTHING I have on it is public domain?  I don't think so!

Look, I think taking nude photos on your phone is risky at best and not the best decision you can make but that doesn't mean anyone who knows how to hack your phone has a right to lift the pictures and have them posted.  We did not forfeit our basic rights when we got a phone / computer and internet.  It shocks me that people seem to think we did somehow.

I'm all for technological advances but it seems to me to have somehow caused humans to lose their common sense and decency and if I had to choose between the two, I'd give up the technology.  Since that's not likely to happen, I'd like to see stiff penalties for people who abuse it to exploit others and their rights. 

One can hope.

And on that note.  Merry Christmas!  :)

November Book Review

This month I'm reviewing Liane Moriarty's Three Wishes.  This is the third of Ms. Moriarty's books that I have read.  It is her debut book and I have to say, it is my favorite one so far. 

It tells the story of triplet sisters, their lives and loves and the secrets they keep from one another.  The story starts in a restaurant with three LOUD women at a table with three individual cakes.  Other diners have complained about the trio but the women only get louder until an argument erupts and a fondue fork ends up in the stomach of the pregnant woman at the table and another one collapses on the restaurant floor.  At the time you have no idea who the women are or that they're triplets and the author cleverly relays details leading up to the incident through animated accounts from the other patrons of the restaurant as they tell others about what happened.  That's what draws you into the story - wanting to know who these women are and what exactly happened.

Then you're taken to roughly a year before the incident to reveal exactly what lead to that scene in the restaurant.  But somewhere along the way, I became more interested in the women themselves and their lives.  Yes, you do get to know what lead up to the event but I also became invested in the characters.  And as is typical for Liane Moriarty's books, there are layers of secrets that come to light, not just the "big reveal" you think is going to happen.

This was another one of those books that I didn't want to put down.  I essentially read it in one sitting because I wanted to find out what happened next.  Also, this book seemed a bit less complicated than the other books of hers that I've read.  In the others there were large casts of characters that are connected in ways that you don't know until the end of the book.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the books or I wouldn't be reading other books by this author but, some get pretty complicated.  This book is about the triplets and their lives and relationships.  I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

For more reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

October Book Review - Evelyn, After

Okay, so I'm going to review a second book - vastly different from my other reviewed book. This book is Evelyn, After by Victoria Helen Stone.

Here is amazon's blurb on the book:

Evelyn Tester is sleepwalking through her suburban life—until a late-night phone call startles her awake. Her husband, a prestigious psychiatrist, has been in an accident. And he isn’t alone.

Suddenly Evelyn’s world isn’t as tidy as she thought. And in the midst of it all is Juliette, not only her husband’s secret lover but also his patient. If news of the affair were to get out, it would ruin more than just Evelyn’s marriage. Although it’s a bitter pill for Evelyn to swallow, protecting her family means staying silent—even if, as she begins to discover, the night of the accident has consequences far more dangerous than the unmasking of an affair.

But the more Evelyn learns about Juliette’s picture-perfect life—complete with a handsome, unsuspecting husband—the more she yearns for revenge…and satisfaction. Her growing obsession fuels her rage, burning away her complacency. What will be left of her after it flames out?

Every month amazon offers me, as a prime member, a selection of books to read before you can buy it.  I get to select one book from the offerings and this month I chose Evelyn, After.  It was labeled as a psychological thriller.  Given that and its blurb, I wasn't sure I would like it but I felt it was the one I was most likely to like of what was offered.

At the time of my writing this review there are under 20 reviews posted with most giving it three stars.  The reason given for the three stars in most instances is that they say it's not a psychological thriller.  I agree with that assessment, I don't believe it's a psychological thriller either.  But I really liked the book and couldn't put it down.  Well, I started reading it late yesterday evening and eventually put it down around 1:30 because I just couldn't stay up any longer.  But the first thing I did this morning was finish the book - before I fixed breakfast or anything else . . . I wanted to see how it ended. Amazon also has this book listed as Women's Fiction and I think that is a more accurate category for this book.

Evelyn is a housewife who has been married to Gary for twenty years.  She works a few hours a day at the school and is a room mom as well as being very involved in the PTO.  She's very dependable and as a result gets a lot of grunt work dumped on her.  She's not particularly dissatisfied with her life until one night she gets awakened by a call that changes everything.  She suspects her husband is having an affair but realizes that's just the tip of the iceberg.  As she tries to make sense of it all, she feels insignificant and finds herself questioning when she lost herself.  To me, this book is about a woman who gets the rug pulled out from under her and finds herself free falling.  She thinks she's hit rock bottom only to find there are several more layers to go before she truly hits rock bottom. 

She changes as she uncovers more of the story.  She thinks of actions as things the "old Evelyn" or the "new Evelyn" would do.  She looks at her life differently and tries to find herself again.  I actually laughed out loud at a few passages.  One I particularly liked was when she was about to do something "old Evelyn" wouldn't even consider:

"Oh, God," she whispered, suddenly lightheaded.  This was mad.  Wonderful. Terrifying.  Maybe it was all a fantasy.  Maybe she'd finally broken from reality and was sedated in a hospital, creating this imaginary life for herself.  It was a comforting thought, actually. Freeing.

I feel the author did a great job of telling this story and expressing the emotions one might go through in a similar situation.  It was believable and relatable, in my opinion.  And I was satisfied with the way things wrapped up and where Evelyn ended up at the end of the book.

I would recommend this book, provided you know it's better labeled as women's fiction rather than a psychological thriller.  :)

For more book reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

October Book Review - Giraffes Can't Dance

This month I am reviewing GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE by Gilels Andreae, illustrations by Guy Parker-Rees.

I volunteer at the local zoo and feeding the giraffes is my favorite activity so when amazon recommended this book to me, I immediately ordered it and knew I had found the book I wanted to review this month.

GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE is a book about being different and being okay with that.  The giraffe in the story, Gerald, goes to the annual Jungle Dance.  All the other animals are dancing well but when Gerald heads out to the dance floor the other animals start mocking him, saying he can't dance and that he's weird.  He freezes and believes they are right that he is "useless" and he leaves the dance feeling sad and alone.  He looks up at the moon and a cricket says to him " . . . sometimes when you're different you just need a different song."  The cricket starts playing his violin and Gerald starts dancing with reckless abandon and it's beautiful.  All the other animals start gathering around and enjoy Gerald's dancing.

It was a sweet little story and made me think of the saying that includes "dancing like no one is looking".  But it also has a message - that's it's okay to be different and to be comfortable with who you are.

When I went to place the order for this book I listened to the audio sample as well.  If I hadn't already placed my order, I probably would've ordered the audio version because there were added sounds and music that I felt were enhancing the experience.

In any event, I think it has a good message and is told in a way that would engage young children.  It's a short book (32 pages) and this review probably has more words in it than the book does but I liked it and recommend it.

For more reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.

Dog Food

Some time ago I purchased a book on how to make food for my dog.  I thought it might be helpful in that if I made the food, I'd know exactly what was in it.

The problem was that most of the recipes call for animal meats . . . lamb, salmon, etc.  As a vegan myself, I don't currently purchase those things for myself.  Heck, when I did eat meat those weren't things on my diet!

Anyway, there was a recipe for blueberry pancakes.  It said their dogs loved this recipe and was something they were fed weekly (on Sundays).  Since I had never fed Harley, my dog, this, I wanted the first time I tried it to be a weekday so I could take him to the vet, if necessary, if he got sick from them.

Today was the day.  The recipe called for 2 large eggs.  Since this is an animal product, I don't eat or keep them in my house.  I substituted a half a banana (after making sure bananas were dog friendly) for the eggs and vegan yogurt for the greek yogurt.

The consistency seemed off so I added water (and more and more water!) to the batter.  And then I started cooking them.  After one of them had cooled enough, I put one in Harley's food bowl.

He sniffed it and then did a taste of it without actually eating it.  He proceeded to eat around it until his food bowl was empty except for this pancake (some of his breakfast was still in the bowl).

Because all the ingredients are people friendly and because the book said this was a recipe the whole family ate from, I tasted another of the pancakes.

The taste reminded me of those sour ball candies you can get.  It wasn't a pleasant taste and I'm not sure what brought that taste in . . . I don't remember buying sour ball candies and / or putting them into the batter.  But that's definitely what they tasted like.  So I completely understand Harley not caring for them.

Oh well, at least I made something from the book.  :)

June Book Review

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@Barrie Summy

 

 

 

The book I will be reviewing this month is New York Dead by Stuart Woods.  Many years ago I worked with a man who, when he "introduced" himself to the group, told us about his love for books.  The first box he unpacked in his office was a box of books . . . the only one he had labeled because "it was the most important box".  We found that, aside from romance novels - which he did not care for - we shared the same tastes in books we liked to read.  So, when he auctioned off several books by Stuart Woods, I snatched them up.  I had never heard of Stuart Woods so was unfamiliar with what he wrote.  

I brought the books home and they've been sitting on a shelf in my office for all these years.  Then, a couple of months ago I shipped some of the books off to my step-father, explaining that I hadn't read them so couldn't officially endorse them but asked him to let me know what he thought.  I haven't heard if he's read them or liked them but in the meantime, I decided I wanted to read one and borrowed an eBook copy of New York Dead - the first in the Stone Barrington series from my library.

Stone Barrington is a police detective in the 19th Precinct in Manhattan.  He had gone to law school but when they visited the police station during his criminal law class, he decided his calling in life wasn't as a lawyer but rather as a police man.  He finished his law degree but didn't take the bar exam.  Instead he joined the police academy.  He's a well-respected police officer and is good at what he does.

In the line of duty, he was shot in the knee and is recuperating when he decides to walk home from dinner one night, to exercise his knee.  During this walk he comes upon a woman falling from a 12th floor balcony.  Not only is he not on duty, he's technically on medical leave while his knee heals but that doesn't stop him from springing into action at the scene.

Surprisingly the victim survived the fall but promptly goes missing.  Sasha - the victim / missing person - is a high profile news person in Manhattan so this is a big news story and the police force is under the gun to make an arrest, even if it's not the right person.

I'm not a big eBook person (I prefer a real book!), not to mention reading for me recently has been a struggle.  Despite that, I read this book in one day.  It was very engaging and I didn't want to put it down.  I really liked this book a lot.

Having said that, there were a couple of threads that weren't neatly tied up at the end of the book.  I believe these to be editing oversights that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book but I do like a book that ties up all the loose ends before the ending.  :) 

I've read other reviews of this book and apparently this was the "worst" of Woods' Stone Barrington books so I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.  :)

For more book reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com or click on the icon at the top of this post.

May Book Review

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@Barrie Summy

 

 

 

The book I will be reviewing this month is THE NEST by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney.

I learned about this book because I had recorded a late night talk show to see interviews by the two other celebrities that were on that night (ironically I don't recall what talk show it was or who the two other guests were!).  I had no intention of watching her interview and had assumed (before I saw the interview) she was some young new star that I was too old to know who she was.  I was fast forwarding to the end of the show when I, for some unknown reason, pressed "play" when she came on.  I heard the words "debut book" and decided to watch the interview after all.

They said the book was about four siblings who didn't allow alcohol when they would get together so they each, unbeknownst to the others, would go to separate bars to drink before they would meet.  I heard that and thought it had the potential of being a fun book.

I got the book from my library and as I was about to start reading, it occurred to me that I might have too high of expectations for the book.  The story centers around a trust (aka The Nest) that had been set up for the siblings shortly before their father died.  His intention was that the money would serve as a modest midlife supplement but after his death the money had been invested wisely and the nest had grown beyond all expectations.  The money was to be distributed after the youngest sibling turned 40.

Knowing that they have a large sum of money coming to them, they all live beyond their current means, something they manage to keep secret from their significant others.  They figure that once they get the money they can fix things and no one has to be the wiser.  So of course something happens that throws a wrench into their plans.  Leo, the oldest sibling and who happens to be in the process of getting a divorce, gets behind the wheel of a car while drunk and high and causes an accident that results in a serious injury to a third party.  In an effort to keep everyone (the soon-to-be ex-wife and the injured party) quiet on the matter, the siblings' mother all but empties the nest (a right the father had included in the trust agreemenet) to pay for their silence.  

The rest of the story is about  how they all cope with this new development.

The book had a lot of potential but it also had some serious flaws.  Among the flaws was the fact that the book seemed a bit disjointed, if that's the right word.  There wasn't a real fluidity in the story telling.  With the exception of a handful of chapters, there was no real presence of time and the chapters were interchangeable as to the location they could be placed in the book.  For the most part a scene or a chapter involved only one person and their thoughts.  In most instances the character the scene or chapter was about would remember a long ago event so it felt a lot like mostly a flashback / data dump story.  And whenever there were multiple characters in a scene or chapter, there was a LOT of head hopping.  I was never confused about whose head we were in but it was glaringly obvious that we were head hopping.  In one scene there were three characters and in one of the paragraphs we hopped into every one of the character's heads . . . multiple times . . . in one paragraph.

The way the story was told reminded me a lot of the movie VALENTINE'S DAY with the overwhelming amount of characters and how so little time was spent with each character.  As a result of this, there wasn't a lot of character development and none of the characters came across as particularly sympathetic.  But you assume that it's all going to tied up in a nice little bow at the end, and for the most part it was.  I just felt that the ending was rushed and didn't provide an entirely satisfying ending to the story.

I realize that this review probably sounds like I'm trashing the book but despite all its flaws I found it to be an interesting read.  I never felt the need to hurl the book across the room but I did want to continue reading to see how it was all resolved.  I don't know that I would recommend paying full price for the book but I think it might be worth borrowing from the library.

For more book reviews go to www.barriesummy.blogspot.com.

Does anyone else do this?

What is it about a power outage that causes a person to lose brain power?  

Maybe it's just me but we just had a power outage that lasted roughly an hour.  My first thought was that since I couldn't watch cable, I'd watch what was on my DVR.  Yeah, because my DVR isn't fueled by electricity.

The second thought I had was to go online.  My internet doesn't work on electricity.  However, the modem that connects me to the internet does.

I went into the kitchen to get my dog, Harley, a snack.  Flipped the light switch.  Not surprisingly, I got nothing from it.

It crosses my mind to do laundry, load the dishwasher, cook (I have an electric stove).  None of which I can do without electricity.

Harley wanted to go outside.  He's decided his favorite way to get outside (despite having a doggy door that would let him outside into the backyard) is through the garage.  I realize he doesn't understand electricity but we couldn't go out that way because of the electric garage door opener.  I had to put his collar on him and force him into the backyard.  No one was happy about that.

And then, when I decide to call and see if the electric company is aware of the situation and timeline for fixing it, I want to use my landline.  The cordless phone, also attached to electricity.  So I called on my cell phone, which had a low battery that I couldn't charge because I had no electricity.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I could've charged the cell phone in the car.  You know, turn the car on in the enclosed garage, plugging in the cord to the cigarette lighter.  Of course that would've caused much more serious problems than not having electricity so it wasn't really a consideration.  :)

Does anyone else do this?  Create a plan of things you can direct your mind to, now that the power is out and you can't watch the boob tube, only to realize all the other things require electricity as well?  Or is it just me?

Pet Care

I'm finding it hard to find good pet care for my dog, Harley.  I booked a once in a lifetime tour of the Serengeti in Africa for this summer and I'm looking forward to taking it.

That is, of course, if I can find suitable care for Harley.

I started by asking a friend of mine if one of her daughters could stay at my home with him while I was gone.  They've done it before when I've had to be away from home overnight.  This trip is a two-week trip though so I knew it was asking a lot.  I was asked to consider them as my "back-up plan" rather than my first plan of action.

So I've been looking.

I asked my vet for recommendations and it turns out one of their techs does pet care.  Yay!  Oh, but wait, turns out she'll only stop by your house up to 2 times per day.  She won't stay at the house or take the pet home with her.  So that won't work.  :(

She recommended someone else to me though, with the caveat that she thinks the person has taken "a real job".  She gave me her business card so I could call her myself.  According to the card I was hoping I could have her pick Harley up in the morning and take him to the doggy day care advertised on the card and them bring him home at night.  It's not ideal but it beats only having 2 visits per day for short periods of time.  I checked out the website listed and it doesn't mention doggy day care so I don't know if it's still offered.  I haven't called her yet but I don't think it's too promising.

I also called a former veterinarian I used and asked for recommendations.  They gave me the name of a kennel but made it sound like a facility that makes the news for its bad practices for animal care.  I haven't called them either.

A friend recommended a kennel she uses and thinks highly of.  I did a tour of it on Friday.  It's a nice enough facility but the animals get little attention.  I was looking at one of their indoor / outdoor rooms for Harley and learned that in those rooms the dogs get all of 6 minutes of cuddle time per day, period.  They're not taken outside and given any attention (unless you pay additional fees per time they are taken out) because they can let themselves out as needed.  During the day only - they close the doggy doors at night.  So basically, it's not a lot better of a situation than leaving him at home, where he has his own routine, and having someone stop by twice a day.  Plus, Harley gets medication daily for thyroid issues and there's an additional fee for them to give him his medications.  You can't take things up there from home to make him more comfortable because they don't want to keep up with it.  If you bring your own food you have to put each meal in a ziplock bag.  Harley eats at least twice a day and will be up there for 2 weeks so I have to make at least 28 ziplock bags of food, not factoring in the fact that lately he has been eating 3 times a day.  The alternative is to allow them to feed him their food, at an additional cost, of course.  I'd almost rather leave him at home at this point and have the vet person stop by twice a day.

Last night I emailed my friend again and asked if her daughter would consider taking Harley in while I'm gone.  I told her I would pay her.  This daughter is constantly taking in strays and has kept them for long periods of time while she tries to find them homes so I'm hoping she'll consider this.  It would be a different environment for Harley but not in a negative way.  And I don't think it would add too much to what the daughter already has to do with the dogs she already has (Harley gets along with other dogs).  I think this would be the best case scenario for everyone concerned.  I'm waiting to hear back.  I hope this can work out.

Yes, I used to kennel my pets but some things have changed since then.  For one, the place I took my dogs to is no longer in business.  They were wonderful with the animals and spent lots of time with them - at no extra charge.  Not to mention, I had three dogs the last time I needed to kennel them so they had their "siblings" with them so they weren't alone.  Harley would be in a new place where he didn't know anyone and had no one to play with for 2 weeks.  Not what I want to do.

I'm praying, please God, let this work out with the friend's daughter, for everyone's sake.

April Book Review

The book I will be reviewing this month is The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James.

I read this book over two years ago and had meant to review it at that time but life has a way of changing one's plans, so I am just now getting around to it.

Alyssa Goodnight has originally reviewed this book (see review here) and her review caught my interest.  The heroine in the story, Sarah Piper, worked as a temp.  I supported myself as a temp for more than 10 years.  Something I could already relate to.  Sarah was hired to go ghost hunting.  Okay, I never got an assignment like that but the possibilities of it ran through my head and I purchased the book immediately after reading Alyssa's review of the book.

Then, I must admit, I had a bit of buyer's remorse.  I don't believe in ghosts and I felt that reading a book about ghosts wouldn't be a good idea.  So the book sat on my entertainment center for months before I ever picked it up.  And when I did, it was for the sole purpose of reading enough to know I shouldn't read it.  I guess I felt that that would somehow justify the purchase of the book and the not reading of the book.

Thing was, I was instantly hooked in the opening paragraphs.  Sarah also didn't believe in ghosts.  She had only taken the temp assignment because she desperately needed the money.  Plus, it would get her out of her small apartment (which I envisioned being over a brothel that the big bad wolf could blow down if he huffed and puffed at it . . . I saw her room as being the highlight of the entire place though, despite the other imagery the author gave to the building she lived in) for a few days.

Maddy Clare was the ghost she was going to "help".  Maddy wouldn't allow men near her (she'd taken up residence in a barn) so it had to be a woman, and was why a female temp had been requested. 

The way the author wrote the story, the reader became a part of the story - at least I did anyway.  As Sarah and I entered the barn to "meet" Maddy, we were both skeptics.  By the time we left, we were both believers.  The author did an amazing job of telling the story and making it convincing.

The only issue I had with this book is the romantic elements.  I didn't see it and I didn't believe it.  It felt forced and didn't seem to fit with other aspects of the story.  It wasn't needed either.  I almost felt like the book had been written and the editor told her to add a romantic storyline to it.  It just didn't work for me.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it.

For more book reviews go to barriesummy.blogspot.com.