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booktalkwithkarla's reviews
1338 reviews
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
“…who we are to each other isn’t so easy to categorize after all.”
“…you know a lot of things, you believe almost nothing.”
Proctor Bennett is a key protagonist and delivers most of this story about a place called Prospera. Proctor is married to Elise, a designer. Their relationship and place in space becomes the foundation for a cats of characters in a complex world. What will happen to them and to their world? What’s real? The novel wrestles with these questions and more, inviting us to consider issues in our own world.
Justin Cronin is creative and ably introduces many characters. He writes them well so I was able to keep them straight, even in this complicated story. He introduces meaning, relevance, faith, and humanity in a dystopian world with recognizable situations.
My book club decided to try new genres a few times this year and this month was Science Fiction. We chose this one from a Good Reads list and word of mouth recommendation. The premise is interesting and I found myself wanting to listen (long audio at 20 hours with two narrators) and understand. It’s hard to talk about without spoilers. I liked the invitation to consider parenthood, memory, dreams, alliances, belief systems, loss, grief, plus good and evil. I recommend this to sci-fi readers and to readers who want to give the genre a try. I’m glad our book club did.
“…within this complexity lies the true essence of loving a child: a joy so intense that it can feel like sadness.”
Mercury by Amy Jo Burns
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Way’s father viewed the business as a kind of inheritance for his sons, and his mother saw it as a problem for them to solve.”
The Joseph family owns a roofing business - each has their own level of commitment and their own reasons for loyalty. We hear from different members of the family as we learn the origin story and what happens over the decades, including Marley who is new to the family.
Amy Jo Burns is a great storyteller and writer. It is obvious she has insider knowledge. She tells a family drama story with a mystery at the center.
I found this book interesting because my husband is in the roofing business. Mostly I liked learning about both the family and the family business. There was a section that was exasperating. But the novel’s ending was meaningful and one of my favorite parts, so I’m glad I persevered. This is a book about family, secrets, love, devotion, wounds, and healing.
“… what kind of understanding passes between a husband and a wife as they live side by side. At some point, a marriage must become a junkyard of things, unfinished sentences and earring backs scattered across the floor.”
“It was lonely sometimes, being a roofer’s wife.”
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
“Happiness, I would tell her, is to spend every day without craning one’s neck to look forward to tomorrow, next month, next year, and without holding out one’s hands to stop every day from becoming yesterday.”
This book, about a friendship between Agnes and Fabienne, is like no other novel I’ve ever read. At the sentence level it’s beautiful. I found myself confused and questioning, yet unable to give up. Secrets, stories, cruelty, and love are themes to contend with. Yiyun Li writes gorgeous prose. I wish I could be in conversation with the author or anyone about this book. I do think I learned two new things about myself as a reader from reading The Book of Goose - I prefer adult protagonists and likable characters. I’m glad I read this but I’ll be scratching my head for a bit about this one.
“A year is a year anywhere, a day is a day for everyone, and yet with a few tricks, these archivists make others believe that they have packed something into their days, something precious, enviable, everlasting, that is not available to everyone.”
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading by Matt Eversmann, James Patterson
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
“My recharge button is reading.”
Reading this book of stories from librarians and booksellers felt like attending a giant conference and having conversations with a diverse group of readers. Except I didn’t have to travel or deal with my introversion related anxieties. I enjoyed the experience and getting to know more about the lives of people who are on the front lines of book sharing.
Sometimes the writing (by real people) and tense chosen (don’t like the present tense for past events - historic present) was an obstacle and caused me to pause and re-read the sentence again. But overall this was a good reading experience and I think it’s courageous for people to tell their stories.
The collection was organized in to 5 parts - playing detective, talking about books, not having books in our lives, loving to read (anything), and just one more chapter - all relatable topics to a reader.
Here is a list of my favorite essays (for my own reference later):
Lynn Greene (bookseller)
Diego Sandoval Hernandez (librarian)
Mike Bursaw (bookseller)
Elaine Petrocelli (bookseller)
Suzanne Lucey (bookseller)
David Lucey (bookseller)
Dena Heilik (librarian)
Mara Zonderman (librarian)
Bill Kelly (librarian)
Janice Turneville (bookseller)
Bob Wells (bookseller)
Thank you to all the people who shared their true stories of the magic of reading. It was fun to read and to consider the importance of reading in my own life.
Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This collection of essays is organized in 6 parts - love, presence, praise, grace, hope, and purpose.
Savannah Guthrie offers honest and humble reflections on the character of God, her experiences, and insights. I picked this up at the perfect time and found it to be a salve to my soul. Guthrie narrates (and I had a physical copy to read in tandem), her gentle voice sharing scripture, stories, and wisdom to my heart and mind.
I highly recommend this audiobook (or hardcover book) for anyone wanting to rest in the promises of God’s love. Guthrie’s vulnerability and delivery is welcoming and not preachy. The 30 seconds of silence she invites at the end of each chapter was bonus. Because the audiobook was due back to the library I listened faster than she recommends, so I plan to sit with several of the chapters again at a slower pace.
Every single chapter offered something beautiful, emotional, and applicable. All 31 chapters are my favorite (is that cheating? I don’t care). Grab this book and enjoy.
Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond by Henry Winkler
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
This memoir starts with an audition in 1973 with the author, who was sweating like the Hudson River. The show Happy Days and a character named the Fonz started that day - a role Winkler made famous. His career as an actor “where pretending made you successful, the only thing he ever wanted to do, kept him from knowing himself. This book is about the author finding out who he really is, a process that took fifty years.
Henry Winkler narrates the audiobook, reading with passion and emotion. His origin story about his German Jewish parents provides insights into how hardship shaped him and contributed to his insecurities. That backdrop is important as he discusses his career and marriage. Winkler seems to be a kind and caring person. He writes extensively about deep and long-term friendships. I loved knowing that about him!
What I liked most about this book was Winkler’s honesty and vulnerability. I started with the audiobook but realized I wasn’t taking in the details so I quickly added the hardcover book, to read in tandem. Henry reads most of the book (ad-libbing because of dyslexia) and his wife reads some of her own point of view sections. I liked this combination - both reading in tandem and the two of them as narrators.
The book is delightful, engaging, and at times, emotional. Its funny! It’s a perfect celebrity memoir - with enough details to be interesting and enough vulnerability to be relatable. I recommend this to anyone who appreciates acting and to anyone willing to deal with their story to improve their adult relationships. Winkler excels at both.
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This is a story of two First Ladies - Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune - and a relationship built on a common mission and shared vulnerability. Reading about their individual accomplishments and what they achieved together was fascinating.
The story is written by two authors whose friendship grew by having conversations much like Eleanor and Mary might have had I n their day. The writing is clear and easy to read. I read on a kindle and a few times had to remind myself who was talking - Mary or Eleanor. Other than that this was an enjoyable historical fiction book with a compelling invitation to be in conversation and not be silent against racism, recognizing that we have to be the change we want to see in the world.
“‘Her report asserts that silence on the issue of lynching is tantamount to guilt.’ I consider her words. I have never perceived silence around violence or racist actions to be the same as the acts themselves. But why shouldn’t it be? Silence suggests agreement, and anyone who knows about these terrible acts—including me—should take a stand against them.”
“Despite the gulf in our origins, we have so many commonalities: a belief that the youth are our future, the desire to elevate women, a drive for service, and a dedication to education.”
Family Family by Laurie Frankel
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
“Regardless of how they get made, family is a force to be reckoned with.”
This is a story of adoption as a choice and not as a last resort. We learn India’s story in alternating timelines - now she is a celebrated actress, then she was a teen in love and pregnant - until the two stories meet. Throughout we see through her dealing with what love looks like and what adoption can look like when not stereotypical and traumatic.
Laurie Frankel and her husband adopted and she has insights and opinions that she shares in this fictional story centered on India, the fathers, and the children. Frankel is a good writer of diverse families and the complications that are true for every family, through adoption or not. She writes about parenting realities in a beautiful way.
Frankel delivers on what she promises which makes this a well written novel. And her right to write an alternative view of adoption is admirable. I struggled with believing that India was altruistic and not selfish (she didn’t choose pregnancy or surrogacy). She got pregnant and made the best out of the situation. Maybe I missed Frankel’s point. Her writing about parenting rings true, often poetic as she compares parenting to an acting role. I do recommend the book AND highly recommend conversations about adoption, parenting, love, and family.
“There was no workshopping with parenting. You said the wrong thing, and you couldn’t go back and give a different read, try it again smiling instead of glowering, gently instead of shouting, with a deep breath before delivery. You had to live with your first read, even though it was often appalling. There was no rehearsal, either. You were live onstage from the moment you got the part.”
“This is what parenting is, India. Solving impossible-to-solve problems while also experiencing deep crises of faith while also being kind of annoyed while also never getting enough rest. These problems only ever go away by changing into different equally impossible problems. This is how it always is for all parents, no matter how you came by your children.”
“Look, it’s a hard topic,” Ajax hedged—fudged, really—“which too many people know too little about. You want a real conversation about adoption? This will start it. It’s not the whole conversation, so it doesn’t need to say everything. It’s not the end of the conversation, so it doesn’t need to wrap up. It’s the start. Who better to fire the opening salvo than you?”
Olivetti by Allie Millington
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“The humans leaned in, giving me the rarest of gifts - their undivided attention.”
This is a beautiful story of a family and a typewriter named Olivetti. It’s the best kind of story, one I recommend you pick up blind and discover page by page.
Allie Millington writes with depth and heart. Her words, sentences, and pages go down like the very best chocolates - sweet and satisfying. I am so grateful she gave us the Brindles and Olivetti.
I was intrigued by the premise of Olivetti, when I heard the middle grade book recommended on the Currently Reading podcast. I thought of it as gift for friend’s daughter who is turning 9, but wanted to vet it for content after seeing content warnings on Story Graph. After reading, I decided to hold off on gifting it to her until she’s a bit older. But am thrilled that I got to enjoy this heartfelt tale of family, community, love, communication, and healing together. The content warnings are true but so much less visible than the story Millington tells about our need for each other. The nods to writing, books, and libraries make this a special book with an important message, told in an engaging and delightful way.
“Sometimes, a stretch of sorrow can make you serious. Unsure of who you are, on the other side of it all.”
“Maybe the only way to get unstuck was to remember.”
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA by Liza Mundy
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.25
This is a book about women of the CIA across the generations, from the inception of the CIA through the take down of Osama bin Laden.
Liza Mundy is a journalist who researches and interviews well. I appreciated the individual stories of the women who served with passion and sacrifice. Their words interspersed with historical events were powerful. Their stories were the best part of this book. The parts of the book that were annoying and took me out of the story were her personal opinions about “powerful” men and women who didn’t support other women. Although believable, the bad players were handled by the women who persevered and overcame. I wish she would have let the women’s stories stand on their own. The stories were enough. As readers, we are smart enough to draw our own conclusions about the gender dynamics.
Reading about the women of the CIA and what they accomplished through hard work, skills and talents, and perseverance was a joy. I didn’t see a true sisterhood and feel the book would have been better organized differently by each woman’s story or by world event or by their common passions. It was hard to keep the women straight because of the author’s tangents. I read this for book club and was more generous than any of the other members, who greatly dislike this book.