Book Club Mom’s Short Reviews of Recommended Reads – April 2023

Weldome to a new feature on Book Club Mom: Short Reviews of Recommended Reads. I hope you’ll take a look!

Born in a Treacherous Time by Jacqui Murray: I dove into this prehistoric story, Book 1 of Murray’s Dawn of Humanity trilogy, and wow, what a great portrayal of a world we can only imagine. Set 1.8 million years ago on the savannas of East Africa, we meet Lucy, an early human female from the Man-who-makes-tools group. Tragic events break up Lucy’s group and she joins another group, toolmakers, but different from her people. Pregnant, Lucy mourns the loss of her forever pairmate, Garv, but like all others, she must carry on in a world that is dominated by hunting and survival from starvation, attacks, extreme weather, volcanos and earthquakes. Lucy’s keen instincts, excellent hunting skills and knowledge of healing herbs and techniques prove an asset, yet other members resent her. They must all work together to survive, however, as they face many perils, including the ominous presence of Man-who-preys. Murray makes it easy to picture what life may have been like during this period, full of violence, but with equal amounts of emotional and social aspects.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio: Here’s a book you just have to like for its feel-good story and message. Fifth-grader Auggie Pullman has been born with a severe facial deformity, one that has required many surgeries. Previously home-schooled, his family enrolls him in a private middle-school in New York City. Not many people can say how Auggie feels to be so disfigured, to be stared at, made fun of, and worse. He has felt it all, yet he remains remarkably upbeat. Palacio does a nice job presenting Auggie’s character, through his own words. She continues the story through other characters’ narrations, giving us a wider perspective. Most interesting of these points of view is that of his older sister, Olivia, who has always loved and protected her brother, but begins to push away from that role. Olivia has lived in the background at home, with necessary attention being given to her brother. The overall message of kindness is perfect for readers ages 8-12.

Well Behaved Wives by Amy Sue Nathan: I enjoyed this historical fiction story set in the prestigious Jewish neighborhood of 1960s Wynnefield, Philadelphia. It begins as Ruth and Asher Applebaum, newly married, move in with Asher’s parents, Shirley and Leon. Shirley, stung that the couple eloped, sets her mind on making Ruth, a confident and career-minded New Yorker raised by her father, into a well-mannered woman of society. That means looking your best, saying the right things and supporting your husband’s career. Ruth has other ideas. A recent graduate of Columbia Law School, she plans to study for the bar exam and begin a career helping battered women. The problem? Asher has not told his parents about Ruth’s plans. Shirley arranges for Lucy to attend grooming classes, led by Shirley’s close friend and socialite, Lillian Diamond. Together, with three other young women, they become the “Diamond Girls.” Ruth discovers that she may be able to help one of her new friends escape dangerous circumstances and she soon learns that these older women have a lot more to them than she thought. Light reading, a little heavy on the message, but an interesting story.

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Book Club Mom’s Short Reviews of Recommended Reads – March 2023

Weldome to a new feature on Book Club Mom: Short Reviews of Recommended Reads. I hope you’ll take a look!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave: Hannah Michaels doesn’t know what to think when she reads a hasty note from her new husband, Owen. “Protect her” is all it says, referring, she thinks to his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. When Owen doesn’t return home from his chief coding job at a California software startup, and when police arrest the CEO for embezzlement and fraud, Hannah suspects that Owen is on the run. But why is Bailey in danger? With limited information, Hannah must decide whether to hide or seek out a hunch she has. Soon they’re in Austin, chasing down memories that lead to Owen’s secret and dangerous past. Here, Hannah faces a difficult and irrevocable choice, but she’ll do anything to protect Owen’s daughter. A fast, light and easy read about families and secrets, good for the beach or a plane ride.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline: I liked this book that parallels the story of a young girl sent west on an orphan train from New York City in 1929 and a present-day Native American teenage girl who has struggled in the modern foster care system. I think Kline does an excellent job showing us how Niamh Power and these destitute orphaned children, both numb and frightened, must have felt as they traveled and met up with their matches, which were often far from perfect. In present day, Molly Ayer is a rebellious, Goth girl whose father has died and whose mother is addicted to drugs. Molly meets ninety-one year-old Niamh, now named Vivian, when she is assigned to a community service punishment for stealing a book. The two form a friendship as Molly helps Vivian sort through her attic and together they relive Vivian’s story.

The Giver by Lois Lowry: The Giver is a terrific thought-provoking middle school read, great for adults too. It is the story of a controlled society in which there are no choices or conflict. When Jonas turns twelve, he must train with The Giver and prepare to receive all the memories of love, happiness, war and pain. During his training, Jonas learns the hard truth about his community and its rules and knows he must act decisively to bring about change. The best part about this book is that every word counts. Lois Lowry is great at describing her characters and their community. She includes meaningful foreshadowing that leads the reader through a gradual understanding of what might initially seem like an acceptable way to live. She accomplishes this by revealing just enough details and we realize the facts just as Jonas does. The Giver ends just as you want to learn more. And thankfully, there is more to the story in Messenger, Gathering Blue and Son.

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Book Club Mom’s Short Reviews of Recommended Reads – January 2023

I’m kicking off the new year with a new feature: Short Reviews of Recommended Reads. Take a look!

A Girl Named Truth by Alethea Kehas – I learned a lot about my blogging friend Alethea in this engrossing and beautifully written memoir about her unconventional upbringing, and more importantly, her struggle to know how truth (her namesake) fits into the narrative of her life. From her early days of rustic camping in Oregon, to life on the run with her mother and older sister in various Hare Krishna compounds, to a new chapters in New Hampshire, Alethea adapts, yet yearns to understand where she fits in. Particularly troubling is her father’s distance, a man who had once searched for his daughters, but gave up. For Alethea, truth and understanding come full circle as she enters marriage and motherhood. There’s lots more in this book. Stay tuned for a special author interview in February!

Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben – Nap Dumas is a rogue detective in North Jersey, haunted by the deaths fifteen years earlier of his twin brother, Leo, his brother’s girlfriend, Diana Styles, and the disappearance of Nap’s girlfriend, Maura, When Maura’s fingerprints turn up on a car, Nap becomes obsessed with discovering what really happened during the fall of their senior year in high school. In question are his brother’s Conspiracy Club and the government’s Nike missile base in their town during the 1970s. Now it seems that someone is killing off the other Conspiracy Club members. Captain Augie Styles still mourns the death of his only child and feels particularly vulnerable with these new developments. I’m always drawn to books set in New Jersey and knew nothing about the Nike missile bases planted in the area, so learning about that was interesting to me. Overall, however, a typical fast troubled-detective story.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara – Jai is a nine-year-old boy living with his family in the crowded slums of a large Indian city. When one of his classmates disappears, Jai and his friends form a detective club to solve the mystery, only to discover a series of terrible crimes. This mystery portrays a vivid and sobering look at the desperate lives of many poor people living in metropolitan India. Despite their impoverishment, Jai and his family cling to their beliefs and traditions. The author also shows the conflicts between Hindus and their Muslim neighbors, who are quickly blamed for the crimes. A multitude of terms and references make this a bit of a slow read, but very moving and informative.

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