All the Bad Apples

All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Honestly I read this book because of its cover, its title, and because none of my holds were available from the library. Plus the narrator is Irish. This book is a strange blend of magical realism and political activism alongside hundreds of year of fictional history being told to modern day characters trying to sort out where a girl has disappeared to. Sometimes I had no idea where this book was trying to go, but there was clever twist after twist to keep you engaged. The political views were a bit layered in a bit too strongly. I prefer to have the story speak for itself, but the author couldn't resist giving voice to her feelings through her characters over and over again. That said Fowley-Doyle's author's note at the end if very compelling, and I still really adored the main character Deena and her best friend Finn.

Happy reading and stay away from the banshees-

(Book 93 - 2019)

ps. Probably a 3.5, but as you know - no half stars.

The Age of Light

The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I love reading about the American expats living in Paris during the 1920s and 30s, so reading about model turned photographer Lee Miller and the artist Man Ray seemed like a great set up for a book. But to paraphrase another review, this book was a romance pretending to be historical fiction. Way to much sex and drama without any substance. I'm only sorry I kept reading since I just kept assuming that we'd get to more concrete information about these artists whose work has stood the test of time. Instead I'm just annoyed that I wasted my time and should have just watched "Midnight in Paris" again. Man Ray makes a very quick appearance, and well - I just love that movie.

Happy reading, but maybe skip this one--

(Book 92 - 2019)

A Rule Against Murder

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love when a book has you so hooked that you can't possibly go to sleep until you've finished. It doesn't happen to me often that I give in to that feeling as a mom to a one-year-old, but I just had to know who the murderer was. Penny does such a good job at creating complex characters, so it's not immediately obvious who did what in each of her stories. My only complaint is that I would rather spend all my time in Three Pines during a Penny mystery and much of this book takes place at a resort. Still, can't help but move immediately along to the next one.

Happy reading!

(Book 91 - 2019)

The Royal We

The Royal We by Heather Cocks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is the equivalent of reading a People magazine. There are parts that are totally fun and engaging and parts where you roll your eyes a bit and think that you probably should be reading something more substantial. Sometimes though, you just need a bit of fluff, and though this book pre-dates the Meghan Markle story, it strangely feels ripped from the headlines in a few places.

Happy reading and no judging when I read the book version of eating whip cream straight from the can.

ps. It also probably a bit of the mark that I disliked the main character's sister so much that I thought she might be better off if they were estranged for a bit. Oops. :)

(Book 90 - 2019)

Searching for Sunday

Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church by Rachel Held Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is far from my usual type of read, but I read it for a book club and we had the most amazing discussion. Though there were parts that were hard to get through, Evans has so many brilliant passages all the way through. This book doesn't perfectly describe my faith experience because I was not raised Evangelical, but I understand what it means to be a follower of Christ and to at times feel disillusioned. I think this book could have been better edited because it meandered at times. Still the takeaways were incredible. My book has so many tabs sticking out of it, and that was me showing restraint at not having too many tabs on a single set of pages.

One lingering thought that I keep returning to is that having doubts is not the problem in our faith. It is what we do with those doubts that matters. Faith that is not lived is not really faith at all.

Happy reading and happy faithful living--

(Book 89 - 2019)

When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cannot believe I didn't read this book while I was teaching so I could have recommended it to my students. This book has Dougherty Valley High School written all over it. I loved the duality of culture, parental expectation, and teenage longing that drove the arc of this book. It has great dual narratives of Dimple and Rishi and really believable character details for Indian teenagers growing up in the Bay Area. I thought over and over again of specific students and my class discussions of arranged marriages when we were reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is a classic summer read to me with romance, hopes, and dreams all set against a San Francisco sky.

Happy reading--

(Book 88 - 2019)

With the Fire on High

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love books that give voice to characters rarely seen in fiction. Emoni Santiago is not your typical teenage protagonist, and she comes to life in a blur of spices, burdens to heavy for her young age, and high school swagger. True to most young adult fiction, the plot lines are pretty straightforward, but they are not tired. Acevedo tells her story well, and we root for Emoni, her abuela, and the whole culinary arts class all the way through.

Happy reading and happy cooking. Acevedo's descriptions of food have made me want to go cook something delicious--

ps. This book has has a similar feel to "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sanchez. I like "With the Fire" a bit more because the main premise of "Daughter" was less relatable and/or believable. Both are well written though.

(Book 87 - 2019)

My Oxford Year- Round Two

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though I've only visited the U.K. a handful of times, sometimes I am homesick for England. Thankfully, there are books and movies to help transport me so I can pretend to be there. I revisited "My Oxford Year" during one of those bouts of homesickness, and it entirely fit the bill.

Happy reading and here's hoping I get to cross the pond again soon. Fall in London sounds perfectly dreamy....

(Book 86 - 2019)

I Was Anastasia

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The mystery surrounding the Romanov family has been fascinating to me since my high school World Civilization class. The thought that one of the crowned princesses of Russia would go missing and potentially survive has captivated the world for for over a century. Despite growing evidence that Anastasia couldn't have lived through the firing squad that destroyed her family, hope still lingers. Enter Ariel Lawhon constructing a brilliant dual narrative between Anastasia in Russia as a teenager and Anna in the United States and Europe as a much older adult fighting to prove that she is a Romanov. The whole way through the book I felt torn between logic and hope. Lawhon deftly wove historical details into her own fictionalized account of what indeed happened to the daughter of Czar Nicholas after the Bolsheviks took power.

I think that you need to like historical fiction to appreciate this book, but you do not need to know anything about the Russians. My fading memory of Russian Revolution actually made it more interesting to try and discern between fact and fiction. At times the moving timeline was a little tricky to follow, but as the dual narrative dates got closer together the tension was palpable. Lastly, the author's note at the end is essential.

Happy reading and happy dreaming--

(Book 85 - 2019)