jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

This was a book club pick ... I loved another book by this author (The Peach Rebellion) and liked Flipped, Wild. This one was on the ♥ side. Lots of thoughts as I was listening (I went with the audio) and I'll try a read of the Kindle copy before bookclub discussion. 

My youngest tried out track his senior season. Sprinter - the 100, 200, 400 and relays. I ran the 200 and 400 and 800 relay back in my day (9th grade) ... so the track scenes, the feeling of running, was interesting to me.

I observed the similar situation as a friend's son (active soccer player) lost a foot in a boating accident.  Interesting to see some parallels there (actually THREE of the ladies I know through Zumba each have a son who has an amputated leg/foot ...) I've followed their stories (some familiarity with the need to change up prosthetics in a still growing child). 

Insurance struggles ... I wondered if the parents were going to file suit against the coach/school. 

I play the free NYT games ... Wordle/Connections and the new Spanagram. The Spanagram was Ruby Slippers, and then low and behold, here in my book, there is mention of them. Quite the coincidence. 

This was a little "Hallmark" ... overcoming all obstacles, being such an inspiration ... but I enjoyed it. The MC, the mother, the friend, they were all inspiring (even if fictional). There was quite a bit of humor thrown in to balance out the serious topic(s).  I was connected to the characters, and got hit emotionally a few times.

First person/Present tense.
There were five parts ...
1. Finish Line (26 chapters)
2. Headwind (15 chapters)
3. Straightaway (24 chapters)
4. Adjusting the Blocks (18 chapters)
5. Starting Line (15 chapters)

I liked this "reverse" set up to a race symbolizing Jessica's journey. The chapters were short. It threw me a little to have them start over at one for each part rather than keep running chronologically (to have five different chapter 1 ...) Very easy, conversational tone in the writing. 

I look forward to the book club discussion.

This was a one sitting book - it probably only took 30min, if that, to go through. Other than some author's notes at the end, and a few words sprinkled in images throughout, this is all visual. I'd grabbed the physical book at a library sale. 

I've read a lot about the relocation during WW2 ... parents sending their children off to a safer place to live. I've read several books about different immigrant experiences. Another graphic novel, Persepolis, has some similarities (featuring a child growing up during a revolution, violence, parents choosing to send her away). This was less stark than that one (which is actually considered non-fiction), and this, while inspired by similar experiences, is a "novel" creation. 

I enjoyed the artwork here, and the background story of the love of books and the comfort they can bring. While she suffered some bullying (why do we humans have to be so cruel?) the care of the foster parents was very inspiring (and unfortunately NOT the experience for all children in similar situations). The art, and the use of color (and black/grays) reminded me a little of the graphic novel adaptation of The Giver  - also with those small spots of color. Unique and draws the eye, and the imagery of color being added to her world through knowledge and books.

I'm afraid I don't really get the title ... I thought the character name was going to be Isla, but it's Marisol. I guess "isla" is Spanish for Island. Going from Cuba to NewYork. It still didn't really hit me as far as a title goes. 

I don't love the title, or the cover (my physical copy is different than the Storygraph Audio cover), I'm not a horse lover (although I have enjoyed other books by this author), so I was a little surprised at how much I liked this little book! While cleaning out bookshelves I came across this and stuck it in the pile for my Little Free Library. I then double checked ratings and availability (two different audio editions, both included in AudiblePlus, NO Kindle copies at libraries although they were available for purchase. The physical copy has quite a few illustrations, which add a little something extra. I'm afraid I may selfishly put this back on my home bookshelf instead of sharing it with the Little Library. 

Unlike so many fiction titles today, the physical copy had a Table of Contents complete with chapter headers. I love a TOC like that, one that I can look at and at a glance be reminded of the story ...
1. Joel Meets Little Bub
2. A Fuzzy Shadow
3. Northward to Vermont
4. Horse-Trader Hawkes
5. Pa Gets An Idea
6. Seven Years!
7. A Stranger Knocking
8. The Pulling Bee
9. Stronger'n a Ox
10. A Challenge from New York
11. High-Duck Dandies
12. Out of the Satchel
13. Bub Travels the Singing Circuit
14. The Auction Block
15. Little Bub Lost
16. "I'll Go to Plattsburg"
17. A Whinny in the Night
18. Justin Morgan and the President

The headers were NOT included in the audio TOC ... there were two choices, one narrated by Patrick Lawlor, the other by John McDonnough. At least the former had the same chapters as the book, the latter had "four" chapters, each about an hour in length, just basically broken up into parts, not actually following the chapters. I gave a little listen to both, and went with the former more for the chapter setup than the narration. 

There was one point (chapter 4) where Justin Morgan sings a little song. This is something I note. Does the narrator sing it, or patter-speak it? Lawlor did patter-speak, while McDonnough sang (even though it was a made up song). Later in the book, when The Star Spangled Banner was being sung, Lawlor did sing ... so maybe he was less confident in making up a melody than the singing itself. 

The book was published in 1945 - I can't recall the exact dates (I know the year, late 1700s... 1798 or something, was mentioned, couldn't find it again with a quick flip) ... a while later, the war of 1812 was taking place. I haven't read the book Warhorse (although I do have it in my TBR), I did see the movie, and this had shades of that - with the horse being taken for war, the boy following, hoping to find him. 

Times sure have changed! Young Joel, sent along with the school master on a journey (not something really allowed in today's world), then apprenticed (pretty much slave labor). The gambling/races, war ... there are SO many books set in WW2 times, it's interesting to get some insight into other wars. 

There is a foreword, and a bibliography (books consulted, as well as institutions and individuals). Like the "Misty" book, the inspiration is based on some real life people, places, events ... a real horse. 

I liked this a lot ... it may have been a little too close on the heels of "Counting by 7s" to feel super unique to me (also had a young girl, super smart ... although not THIS smart, orphaned, connecting with someone/others). Honestly, I think the "Book Club Questions" at the end (of the Kindle copy, not in audio) made me think about things, reflect back, delve deeper and appreciate it all more. There WOULD be quite a few things to discuss in a bookclub setting. 

I'm not sure how much this will really stand out in my memory though. It always seems a little convenient to have such a gifted MC ... I don't personally know of any 13-year olds who are attending college. I'm sure there are a few child geniuses out there, but that just takes it a step back from "real" for me. 

I went with the audio, very good narration, perfect voice for Ru ... while technically she is older and telling this story, not to us, the reader, but to two girls. Very conversational tone. Easy reading.

Loved the chapter headings, and that they were included in a Table of Contents in Audible and Kindle ... I don't have a hard copy to see if it has a TOC (so many don't these days). This is one where the TOC is enjoyable to glance over, remember what was in each chapter, and fun/clever little statements (Chapter 2: The Point of a Study on Pointing. Chapter 3: An Inch for the Flat-Earth Theory. Chapter 4: When a Toucan Met a Penguin. Chapter 9: Rusty Metal Kangaroo Pouches. Chapter 10: Clouds are Clouds, Which is not Always the Good News. Chapter 11: Shhhh-Don't Disturb the Universe...) See, aren't those fun to read? I love chapter headings, especially when they are original and nudge the memory as to what was in that chapter. 

Content Concerns: No proFanity. Dealing with death. A non-binary character. Two underage kids taking off  (in "Ban This Book" one mother wanted [book:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980] pulled from school library shelves because those kids ran off to the local museum! What would she think of this???) 

Happy to find a JAFF with audio ... this was even included in AudiblePlus, with the Kindle copy available from the (x)library. This was absolutely enjoyable, a very traditional addition (same time/setting/style) as the original. 3rd person/past tense, although we get more than just Lizzie's POV (more insight into Darcy).

It starts with a prologue, a scene between Bingley and Darcy - one that very well could have come from the original. If you'd wanted more of an idea of what Darcy might have discussed to dissuade Bingley, this is it. This sets up the irony of this book ... where Elizabeth accepts Darcy's hand before she's had a complete change of feelings, when their affections are unequal (the title, and what Darcy warns Bingley against). 

This was just a very comfortable read ... so easy to fall back into the traditional story, with a slight shift, and get MORE. Additional scenes, what Darcy is thinking, some alternate struggles ... 

I always appreciate having the Kindle copy for reference, and to have on hand to look over while writing reviews. Here, I caught a forward and preface, not included in the audio, which gave some good insight. 

Ah ... this was my last Backman book (well, I still have his non-fiction and Christmas story). I DO wish I'd read this before reading Britt-Marie was here, not that it really makes a huge difference. While this is a 5* for me, I can see why some struggle with it. The fantasy elements/world were confusing, but in the end, I loved it, as I've loved all of Backman's books. It's one I want on my shelf, one I'll go through and see what quotes others have saved - one I'll remember.

I know the fantasy world overlapped, and the "wurse" in fantasyland wasn't a dog. BUT ... wasn't he a dog in real life? In the picture on the cover? When the wurse was fed chocolate, that just made me cringe (because IRL was the girl feeding a dog chocolate?)

Per usual for Backman, this was 3rd person/present tense. A huge cast of characters (and when I say characters I REALLY mean characters, because they were all really unique. The chapters did have headings, although they weren't really descriptive (as far as jogging the memory to remember what happened in that chapter) ... Tobacco, Monkey, Coffee, Beer, Lilies, Cleaning Agents, Leather, Rubber, Soap, Alcohol, Protein Bars, Mint, Wine, Tires, Wood Shavings, Dust, Cinnamon Bun, Smoke, Sponge Cake Mix, Clothes Shop, Candle Grease, O'Boy, Dishcloth, Dreams, Spruce, Pizza, Mulled Wine, Potatoes, Swiss Meringues, Perfume, Peanut Cake, Glass, Baby, Granny.  Per MY usual pet peeve, the hard copy did NOT have a Table of Contents. I cannot comprehend why a TOC isn't included (it's in the digital copies, ebook and audio, for navigation, but physical books could use that too, knowing what page a chapter starts on rather than just randomly flipping through? Seeing all the chapter headers together, knowing that there 34 chapters and an epilogue ... I always want a TOC, even in a physical copy, even in fiction, even if there aren't chapter headers. 

I connected with the characters and really cared about them - to the point of tears a few times. 

No proFanity, no sex ... dealing with death and some scary moments. 

I haven't read much steampunk - but I LOVED Gail Carriger's Finishing School series. I've read a LOT of JAFF, and this was one of the more unique ones. I didn't love it, but it had it's moments. It was short. I had "purchased" the Kindle copy at some point, and the audio had been added (although just virtual voice - not as good as human narration). 

This had a gender swap - so the Bennet family has five boys. The names all started with the same letters (Joseph, Elisander, Matthew, Kier, Lachlan. They had similar personalities ... although Matthew(Mary) seemed just as involved with Lachlan(Lydia) as Kier(Kitty), maybe more so. Darcy Fitzwilliam, Bin Li, Georgette Wickham and Wilhelmina Collins ... all women (Char too). Darcy still had a younger sister, Catherine De Bourgh was still a lady.

In this steampunk twist, the "swap" wasn't as profound because ... the Bennet's were still the poor family, home entailed, needing a good match. Bin and Darcy were still the wealthy, powerful people. Wickham was an actual pirate, NOT as bad as in the original book though. 

3rd person/past tense ... but here (unlike the original) we got into the heads of various characters. I think one of the things that makes the original P&P work, is that we/the reader, only know what Elizabeth knows. Here, the reader gets background/feelings from so many other characters too. Really, Darcy wasn't a much of a main player. 

At times it felt like it was trying too hard - recreating scenes, statements. The steampunk setting had some interesting ideas, but many things were too over the top, or not really interesting/appealing.  The dialog struggled. While the gender swap had some fun aspects, at times it was a little cringy ... 

So ... I was only two chapters in, but this is going to be a DNF for me. I don't feel like it's fair to give a book a rating when one hasn't really read the whole thing ... but I have to say I'm looking at the high ratings and I just don't get it.

I'm just over 50, I read a lot of paranormal. This writing just seemed ... like something I might write, if I tried. I'm not a writer. I am a reader, I read a LOT. I think I'm used to more sophistication in writing? This just seemed so stark, telling, instead of making me feel things. Just a simple statement "I actually thought about killing myself. I simply didn't know how to live with this pain."

It just felt off from the start ... our MC is looking forward to her 50th birthday celebration. She seems a little bi-polar; poor me, I'm going through menopause even though I couldn't have kids, and my first husband divorced me because of that ... of course I look pretty fabulous because I've never had kids. And although she admits (to us, the reader) "I discovered that everything I believed, everyone I loved, was nothing like I'd thought. It was all a terrible, terrible lie." And boy was it ever! She had NO IDEA anything was wrong at all, when she gets after her hubs for working a little late (after 7:00 ... I probably should not admit how late my Hubs works at times) he blows up at her and says he wants a divorce, and that "you hurt everyone in this house every single day". HOW DID THIS MARRIAGE LAST YEARS? Her parents aren't as shocked as she is, as they think he just married her to be a housekeeper/nanny. HOW DID THIS MARRIAGE LAST YEARS? I was miserable just reading about it in the first chapter, then going over it again in the second chapter ... and glancing at another review, it sounds like she continues to do it throughout the book. And yet, she hadn't a clue that anything was wrong at all ... really?

One sentence made me laugh ... "Jess's last name was Metheny. I'd refused to become Bethany Metheny."

So I didn't even get into the paranormal (weird dream, starting to set things up) but the writing just felt stilted and unnatural and instead of feeling like I wanted to pick up my kindle again, I'd dread it. So ... done. 

Sometimes I'll include how a particular book ended up on my reading list. For this one, I was perusing a library book sale and saw several copies of this book (indicating there had been demand for it at one point). It had the "Bestseller" badge, and a quick lookup on Goodreads indicated a high rating.  

I'm not a complete novice to deaf culture. My sister learned sign-language (LDS mission) and has been an active interpreter for years (her husband also). I took several ASL classes, through the interpreting level, but never felt I really mastered the language (that, and spelling, finger or otherwise, is a challenge for me, in spite of my reading background). 

I did NOT have ANY idea who Nyle DiMarco was ... I don't follow the reality TV shows. Apparently he was on America's Top Model (is it a spoiler to say if he wins or not?) and then on Dancing With The Stars (again ... win?)  

This begins with an Author's Note, which IS necessary, but it was a little technical and dry.  I realize the irony of listening to an audiobook about deafness, but I had a physical and kindle copy for reference as well. I appreciated the Table of Contents, with descriptive headers, which were included on the audio TOC as well.  20 chapters.

It's always interesting to see how a memoir is set up ... strictly chronological? Arranged per topic? In college, I had an assignment to write an auto-biography, so I struggled with that myself (I have my life history from birth to my 20s ... should update, not for publication, but just for family).  This was mostly chronological, starting with his birth and childhood years. His schooling, then his break into modeling and acting. There were some time shifts though, especially when accounting times with his father. 

There was a lot of good information about the deaf community. About Deaf (with a capital) and deaf, about other phrases (hard of hearing, etc) which are often offensive. About how signing was NOT encouraged in so many situations (deaf school!) I was familiar with most of this, but still appreciated new knowledge on the subject.

This seemed almost as much about Nyle's sexuality as his deafness. There are some similarities too I suppose. Lots of discussion, and it is labeled as LGBTQ.  Also quite a bit of background on reality TV, which may or may not be of interest to readers, I did find it interesting, even though I hadn't ever watched either show (they seriously have the models walk a plank and see if they fall to kick them off the show??) I just might have to search YouTube to check out his final dance on DWTS.

The text copies have some pictures included - which are a fun addition. I think the audio has "supplemental content" but as I already had the text in two formats, I didn't investigate that. 

Many resources, ways to continue on with Deaf education were listed at the end.

I'll add this to my little library - it will interesting to see how quickly it might be snapped up (my little library isn't a great gauge,  as it's new, and we're a little out of the way). I'll mention this to my sister (the interpreter) as it would be interesting to get her opinion on it from her POV and experience. 

Content Concerns - some proFanity (x7), slight sexual content, a lot of discussion of sexual identity/LGBTQ conversations. 

I ended up really liking this ... I wasn't sure at the start, it was a little hard to get into. Time and POV shifts (all third person). But I grew to care about the characters, learned a lot about a situation I'd heard of but didn't have much knowledge of. The author's notes at the end are essential to understanding, it was good they were included in the audio (sometimes they are not). This is part of KindleUnlimited, so I had the Kindle copy too, which I needed a bit to get a grasp of the setup. There were also some maps that were helpful.

This, while not classified as non-fiction, is based on real individuals and events. I'd read this author's "Beneath a Scarlet Sky" and everyone was treating it as a biography/non-fiction... that really bugged me, as it was so obviously fiction. All the dialog and exaggerated events. Here, I didn't realize this was so heavily based on a true story (yes, it says it right there in the blurb, but often I'll put something on my to-read, and then grab it later without looking into it at all, not really knowing what the book is about as I start up). Here, I think I might have liked to KNOW it going in, but then I wonder if I would have been more critical, as I was in Beneath a Scarlet Sky. I don't know for sure. 

As mentioned, I struggled at the start. The chronological chapters had headings, but those weren't included in the table of contents (in fact, the Audible TOC and the Kindle TOC didn't line up, which was annoying, as I wanted to find my place between formats ... Audible was off by 2+ chapters, listing 50, when there are 45 in the Kindle copy.

Chapter 1: December 28, 1994 Korumush Barracks, Southern Sudan
Chapter 2: June 1987 Rwotobilo, Uganda 
Chapter 3: September 1988 Amia'bil, Uganda
Chapter 4: May 1992 Rwotobilia, Uganda
Chapter 5: April 1993 Amia'bil, Uganda

When I'm listening to audio, and a date/location is said, it's usually too quick for me to really register it. How important is the date/location? Should I rewind and make sure I got it, should I write it down? Will there be a test? *Ü* ... but really, do I need to KNOW this?  As this book starts up, it's a key scene from with an omniscient overview. Then, the time shifts back years earlier to introduce the two main characters ... Anthony and Florence. Starting when they are young, jumping forward a few years for each. The chapter didn't switch consistently, sometimes it would stay with Anthony for a few chapters before shifting back to Florence. In audio, there was a single narrator, which was fine, as it was 3rd person ... but I wished a little that the Florence sections were from a female narrator, just to make them more easily distinguished. Sometimes as I'd listen I'd get distracted and couldn't remember right off which storyline, Anthony or Florence, we were in.  After a bit, we cross the scene from Chapter 1, this time from Anthony's POV. Later on still, Anthony and Florence are together in a single storyline.

Also as mentioned above - the Author's Note and the Afterword (here, it IS actually Anthony and Florence giving a first person interview) are SO essential, not to be skipped!

Content Concerns: No proFanity, but, while not explicit, there is sexual content/rape. A lot of violence (kidnapping/murder/torture) too. 

It was interesting to think about the kidnapping of young girls, and forcing them to be "wives" ... I read Elizabeth Smart's My Story recently. How different that was viewed here in the US, one girl being taken, national news and so many searches. Florence was around the same age (a year younger) and kept in captivity much longer and not to make comparisons, but went through so much more in the midst of a war. Here, Florence was just one of so many children taken and forced to do horrible things. It was also interesting to note the "after" ... and in My Story, how I felt Elizabeth was explaining things, and how Florence was treated, and how Anthony was treated. Such a horrible situation!

After the rather rough start, and figuring out the shifts in time and POV, I really got involved in the story. The author's notes and afterword really brought it all home, making it so memorable.