More Recent Reads

I’m finally feeling like I can hop back into blogging, and I’m coming back strong with review for ALL the books I’ve read this year! Fingers crossed I can finish this series of posts before the end of the year. HA!

You can find my other book reviews from the year here:

January

February

March

Recent Reads

Here we are back for seven more book reviews!

Killers of the Flower Moon

Synopsis: In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.

My Review: I first tried listening to this on audiobook, but it just wasn’t keeping my attention. I finally picked it back up in book form. I have been trying to intentionally read books about different cultures and people who are different from me. I’ve been looking for books with more Native American culture in them, but they are hard to find! This book is historical writing of the murders of the Osage Indians and the birth of the FBI. It was very fascinating and a very sad read. The fact that Native Americans have been used and abused for so many years in our country is heart-wrenching and should not be acceptable. One disclaimer on this book was that it was long….and sometimes it became rather boring. I don’t love historical books because I often find them to become incredibly boring. I guess one of my goals for 2020 is to find some books that are primarly historical (or even historical fiction!) that don’t have that boring factor. Any recommendations?

The Hate U Give

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

My Review: I’ve heard a lot of police supports report this book as “disgusting”, “unfair”, “biased” and “terrible”. But ya know what? I actually like the book. Yes, there were one or two scenes that were hard for me to read as a police wife. This book is fictional and therefore the author had the liberty to make the police officer fully in the wrong. In reality, there is often much more to the story than a fictionalized plot gave. But I still really, really liked this book. I didn’t feel like it was anti-police. I felt like it was pro-hard decisions. I felt like it supported police in some ways and called to light injustices that do happen. The writing was beautiful- it was a very well-written and engaging book. One thing that I absolutely LOVED about this book was how the author portrayed Starr’s parents. Most YA novels present parents as outdated, stupid, and annoying. But this book was completely different- the parents were given respect, they were painted in a good light and Starr had a great relationship with them. It was incredibly refreshing to read. If you have not yet read this book, I recommend that you pick it up and read it. I will confess that I have not yet watched the movie, though. Can anyone give me insight into that?

The Radium Girls

Synposis: The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War.

Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” are the luckiest alive — until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.

But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come.

My Review: Wow, this book was FASCINATING! I had no idea about this piece of history. Radium was the new wonder-drug and it was used to paint watch faces and parts for the war. The ladies who did the painting would dip and lick their brushes to make for more precise painting. And then one by one they began to fall ill to gruesome deaths. The first half of the book introduces us to the characters, their stories, their illnesses and their eventual deaths. The second half of the book leads us through the legal battle that was fought for their right and how workman’s compensation has now come to be. As most history books goes, this one was fascinating. But also very long. And at times the legal parts did not keep my attention very well. I do highly recommend this book, but it’s a bit heavy when it talks through the deaths of the ladies. Not an easy read.

Tattoos on the Heart

Synopsis: As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables distilled from his twenty years in the barrio. Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we could find the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JCPenney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Lula we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Pedro we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the darkness. In each chapter we benefit from Boyle’s wonderful, hard-earned wisdom. Inspired by faith but applicable to anyone trying to be good, these personal, unflinching stories are full of surprising revelations and observations of the community in which Boyle works and of the many lives he has helped save.

My Review: I LOVED this book. It was so, so beautifully written. If you have ever had a hard time loving someone or feeling loved by anyone, read this book. I know that life isn’t always easy, and the gospel gives us answers that sometimes feel even harder to accomplish! But this book was like drinking a cool glass of water and seeing how God’s love works again. I don’t neccesarily agree with all of Boyle’s theology, but this book was not a theology book and more personal essays.

The Underdogs

Synopsis: The Underdogs tells the story of Karen Shirk, felled at age twenty-four by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as a ventilator-dependent, immobile patient, who was turned down by every service dog agency in the country because she was “too disabled.” Her nurse encouraged her to tone down the suicidal thoughts, find a puppy, and raise her own service dog. Karen did this, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life. “How many people are stranded like I was,” she wondered, “who would lead productive lives if only they had a dog?”

A thousand state-of-the-art dogs later, Karen Shirk’s service dog academy, 4 Paws for Ability, is restoring broken children and their families to life. Long shunned by scientists as a man made, synthetic species, and oft- referred to as “Man’s Best Friend” almost patronizingly, dogs are finally paid respectful attention by a new generation of neuroscientists and animal behaviorists. Melissa Fay Greene weaves the latest scientific discoveries about our co-evolution with dogs with Karen’s story and a few exquisitely rendered stories of suffering children and their heartbroken families. Written with characteristic insight, humanity, humor, and irrepressible joy, what could have been merely touching is a penetrating, compassionate exploration of larger questions: about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.

My Review: I picked this book up because the organization that is talked about in the book, 4 Paws for Ability, is located right down the road from us in Xenia, OH. I also was compelled to read the stories of those who have benefited from service dogs before. However, I did not love this book. It was very heavy on the dog-related scientific facts and the stories of those who received service dogs jumped all around the book and in between chapters. It was very choppy and didn’t have great flow. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I was really into dogs, but I am a self-proclaimed NOT dog person, so maybe that was why I didn’t find the book very interesting. I do highly recommend that my local people read about 4 Paws for Ability, as it is an amazing organization right in our backyard. But you can probably go ahead and skip the book.

Girl, Wash Your Face

Synopsis: Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son’s request that she buy a necklace to “be like the other moms,” Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.

My Review: Well, let’s start with the things that I liked about this book before we dive into the things that I did not like. First, it is undeniable that Rachel has an energy about her that is extremely motivating and compelling. Second, I loved how she vulnerably shared her story- from finding her brother after he committed suicide, to going into the depths of foster care and finally into the adoption of their daughter. Not everyone can stand up in front of people and say/write about those most vulnerable parts of themselves and I can applaud her for that. Third, she does have SOME good business advice if you are pursuing building a business. Now brace yourselves….I, like most conservative Christians, did not like this book. Rachel is very SELF-motivated and SELF-absorbed and while she claims to be a Christian, I find that her advice doesn’t match well with the wisdom of the Bible. Rachel is an extremely rich, extremely white woman who has climbed the ladder of success and fame and has millions of people who practically worship her. Her entire message in this book is that I DID IT, and YOU CAN, TOO. I am not sure how that coincides with Christ’s many messages of humility and “all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Does following Christ mean that we can never be famous and have followers and teach people? NO! But it does mean that as he gives us those gifts, we point others back to Him. And that is one thing that I don’t see Rachel Hollis doing. In the end, I cannot recommend this book and I will not be reading her second book.

Daisy Jones and the Six

Synopsis: Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six: The band’s album Auroracame to define the rock ‘n’ roll era of the late seventies, and an entire generation of girls wanted to grow up to be Daisy. But no one knows the reason behind the group’s split on the night of their final concert at Chicago Stadium on July 12, 1979 . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ‘n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

My Review: This novel was brilliant! It is written in a way that I’ve never seen a novel written before- in an interview style. This made the book go by so quickly, I felt like I was constantly turning pages and for some reason this style kept me really engaged. Perhaps because it’s so different from any other type of reading I’ve done? I’ve heard some review that hate this part of the book, but I loved it. I wasn’t born in the 70s and Im not really that interested in the life of bands, but this was such an interesting read! Even though I felt like I didn’t have any personal connections to it, it just kept my attention and I wanted to keep reading to see what happens. My only beef with this book is that it kind of built itself as a mystery- “why did the band break up?”. In the end, the answer to that question just fell flat for me. I kept on reading and reading and then thought “THAT’S IT?” A little disappointing in the end, but thanks for the journey, Daisy Jones and the Six.

One comment

  1. Emily Shanahan says:

    Hey Suzanne,

    Thanks so much for the great book recommendations ! “Radium Girls” and “The Underdogs” sound particularly interesting to me! 😊 ✨Psalm 95✨

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