Here is the second half of my summer book reviews. Now that I feel back on track, I plan to get back into the blogging routine. It is includes one of my favorite books of 2022: This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
Whew! Now I feel back on track. I'm going to a destination wedding this week so plan on plenty of beach reading before I return to fall in Illinois!
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard: After reading this book, I know I could never have been an explorer (like I was even considering it!). River of God's is Candice Millard's non-fiction account of the search for the source of the White Nile. An true adventure story with hardship, illness, competition, and revenge. In the first attempt, Richard Burton and John Spike need each other but despise each other. In the second attempt, Speke sets out to prove he found the elusive source. Back in England a feud between the two men drives both men to ruin in different ways.
I found the book got a little slow when describing each each expedition which explains my three stars. It wasn't as gripping as I would have like.
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende: The story of a brother and pregnant sister-in-law (Victor and Roser) who flee Spain for Chile at the end of the Spanish Revolution. With her husband presumed dead, Roser and Victor pretend to be married for the sake of the child. Using the Spanish Revolution and political changes in Chile as a background, A Long Petal of the Sea is the story of Roser and Victor's unique relationship. What begins as a convenient friendship evolves over decades into true love and dedication to each other. While I learned a lot about the Spanish Revolution and Chile, I didn't find Victor and Roser's story terribly compelling.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe: I picked up this graphic novel after learning a group of parents were challenging its place in our local high school library. After a review process, the school district kept the book on the high school shelves. Maia (who uses the pronouns e, eir, and er) wrote Gender Queer to explain er questioning process with er family and friends. I learned a lot and while direct at times, did not find it offensive at all. Read my full review on Goodreads.
This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel: I picked this up not knowing it was the story of a family whose youngest son is a trans girl. As early as a toddler, Claude wished he was a girl, preferring girl toys, girl friends and girl clothes. With supportive parents and older brothers, Claude, now Poppy, has girl friends and feels accepted. However a couple of traumatic experiences, force Poppy's parents to make the difficult decision to move to Seattle, an area they feel will be more accepting as Poppy gets older. Due to some circumstances, they decide to keep Poppy's secret within the family. But this isn't just Poppy's story. It is the story of the entire family. And that is what I loved about this book. Frankel explores how the move and keeping secrets affects different family members. The brothers are quirky, unique and supportive of Poppy. Poppy's parents struggle with the various issues and decisions that she will face as she moves into puberty. I just loved everything about this book and it is definitely one of my favorites of 2022!
Troubled Blood (Cormoran Strike, #5) by Robert Galbraith: If you aren't aware, this is J.K. Rowling writing under the name Robert Galbraith. Rowling has been under scrutiny in the last few years for her anti-trans tweets and remarks, so I have some conflicted feeling about reading her books. Kind of like the conflict I feel listening to Michael Jackson's music. She is amazing writer and this Cormoran Strike series is full of complex, likable characters and a plot full of twists and turns. The 6th book just came out and is causing quite a stir with it's (supposedly - I haven't read it) transphobic plot. Read my full review of Goodreads.
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson: Another book that was challenged in our local school district. This Book is Gay is more of an overview of what is means to be LGBTQ: coming out, stenotypes, differences between sex & gender, politics & law and more. Dawson writes with at a teens level and sense of humor (corny). It is isn't the most well-written book but it covers a lot of information that a questioning teen would find helpful. Read my full review on Goodreads.
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