A Scroll column where writers Ella Hayes and Sean Glover post reviews for books, podcasts, and scripts they have recently read and listened to and take suggestions for more books, podcasts, and scripts to review for future columns.
Hey y’all! Welcome back to another issue of the Book and Podcast Review Column! Though spring break was great and all, I’m glad to be back into the “groove” at school. It’s been amazing being able to be back at school and seeing peers’ faces again (after a YEAR…), and The Scroll team is so happy to be able to finally meet our entire team in person!
A quick rundown for my column in case you are new here: in my section of this article, I review some books I’ve read and podcasts I enjoy listening to, along with some quick rating and quotes about these books/podcasts. I also take recommendations for books people have read, and want to see reviewed in the column! For this month, I have two true crime podcasts for review, along with two young adult novels. Thank you all again for joining me again this month, and happy Scrolling!
-Ella Hayes; Writer and Reporter
Welcome back to The Scroll’s beloved book/podcast/script review column! The month of March served as a very hectic period of time for me, so I was only able to get around to two new reads. Fortunately, I have a lot to say about these two scripts, which means you should expect a lot of in-depth analysis behind my personal ratings. Thank you for sticking with me for another month of my constant rambles, Scroll readers, and enjoy!
-Sean Glover; Photojournalist and Writer
Other than buying physical copies of books at local stores, I also check lots of books out online through the Josephine Community Library. Additionally, GPHS Library has great ways to get library books as well. (See the library page on the GPHS website!)
I use the app "Overdrive," and use my local library card to sign in. (If you have a library card with the Josephine Community Library, you can do this too!) The online library has thousands of books for you to choose from. It’s also easy to find exactly what you are looking for; using the search engine and filters, you can find books easily by their title, genre or format. You can check out books straight from your phone with the app, and read them on your phone, as well. If you prefer audiobooks, you can also check out audiobooks and listen to them with the app, too. If the book you want is unavailable, you can recommend the book or place a hold.
This is a great way to have access to many books for free (if you have a library card)!
Additionally, I’d like to mention the site Goodreads as a resource that you can use. This isn’t a place to buy books, but a good website to find new books and read reviews of books you are planning to read. Goodreads has thousands of reviews on many books, and it is a great recourse to use when finding a book that you might enjoy. Additionally, with a Goodreads account, you can write your own reviews for books, or just keep track of your books read and make reading goals. Altogether, it is a fantastic source to use when searching for new books to read.
As for podcasts, I listen to every podcast on Spotify, though you can find any episode on each podcast’s website (linked down below).
Podcast Reviews
If you have been here a while, you ought to know that I am a HUGE fan of true crime, mainly true crime podcasts. My favorite thing to do, as soon as I get in my car, is to quickly turn on my current crime podcast of the time. Though I have already reviewed several true crime podcasts, including Crime Junkies (a personal favorite) and Morbid: A True Crime Podcast, I have two whole new amazing podcasts for you to give a listen. Both of these podcasts are created by Parcast, a podcasting network. All of Parcast’s podcasts--found on Spotify-- are professional, well-researched, and engaging in a large variety of topics. If you want to check out Parcast Networks websites for all of their shows and episodes, you can do so here. So, without further ado, here are this month’s podcasts: Medical Murders and Female Criminals.
Title: Medical Murders
Hosts: Alastair Murden
Focus: true crime - medical field
Review: Though many medical professionals are compassionate individuals dedicated to their job of helping people, some people who have committed their lives to their medical profession take advantage of their power in the most horrific ways. In this Parcast podcast, Alastair Murden outlines many famous cases of doctors and nurses who “. . .play God with their patients, choosing who lives, and who dies.” Murden is also joined by his partner Dr. David Kipper, a medical professional himself, who explains the medical aspect to many of these infamous crimes (including the psychology of some medical murderers). I highly recommend his podcast, mainly for the obviously well-researched and in-depth content, along with the engaging and professional voices of our hosts. Follow this podcast to learn about Fred Shipman, a doctor known to have killed about 218 people (more than any serial killer in UK history!) Josef Mengele, an Auschwitz medical experimenter and torturer, and many other murderous doctors.
Title: Female Criminals
Host: Vanessa Richardson
Focus: true crime - female
Review: “Picture a murderer, a gangster, a thief. Did you picture a woman? We didn’t think so.” In this Parcast original podcast, follow host Vanessa Richardson as she discusses many famous murderous and infamous female criminals throughout history.
Have you ever noticed how many true crime shows, podcasts, and other things often focus on the male criminals and murderers of our time, and only refer to women as the victims? Does this mean that is the case all the time? No. In fact, many women have been known to commit horrendous crimes, even if these crimes are not broadcasted by the media as much as their male counterparts. Richardson takes a deep dive into the motivations, tactics and psychology behind numerous serial killing women, using adequate research and a professional tone. I love this podcast, mainly because it sheds some light on cases that have not reached the mainstream media as much as some other cases, especially those involving women as the killer.
Book Reviews
For this month, I have some very exciting and highly enjoyable young adult novels for you all. This first one was one that I loved some much when I read it over the break-- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. As for the second book, this is the novel I am currently reading, called House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A. Craig. I hope these reviews encourage you to find these and read them. . . ASAP!
Title: The Inheritance Games
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: young adults, realistic fiction, thriller, mystery
Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ (4.5 stars)
Review: “Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.”
Avery Grambs thinks there must be some sort of mistake when she is informed she has inherited billions--yes billions--of dollars from a wealthy billionaire who has recently passed away. . . and whom she has never met in her life. Avery has lived her life of 16 years as a simple one; she works hard for her money and cares deeply for her half sister. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the sheer amount of money that Tobias Hawthorne owned but, suddenly, it was all hers. But why? In the grand scheme of things, Avery is a nobody, and she knows it. And this Tobias Hawthorne has neglected sharing his wealth with his large family and given it all away to a stranger, effectively gaining Avery some new enemies. Grayson, a grandson of Tobias Hawthorne is convinced that Riley is up to something suspicious, while Jameson, his brother, believes that Avery is simply a pawn in his grandfather’s puzzles he loved so much when he was alive. Whether or not Avery wants to get to the bottom of the mystery Tobias Hawthorne left behind, she has no choice. The choice is either to understand why Tobias Hawthorne chose her, or get assassinated by someone from within the manor out to get her. . . and her fortune.
AHHH!! I loved this book! The mystery around every corner, and little clues left here and there, a possible ASSASSIN from within Avery’s own home? The many plot twists kept me reeling, though yearning for more. I loved all the characters as they were developed by Barnes, especially the Hawthorne brothers’ relationship with one another, which was was incredibly complex and so interesting to unfold throughout the course of the novel. I felt as though I was there along with Avery, desperate for answers to the many mysteries that seem to surround this family.
And I haven’t even mentioned the pure vibe of this novel. It takes place mainly at the Hawthorne Manor, where Avery must now live to meet the terms of Tobias’ will. Oh, but she also must live there with the rest of the Hawthorne family, most of whom despise her and blame her for “stealing their money”. Not awkward at all, right? The Hawthorne Manor is a sprawling mansion, where Avery describes how you could easily get lost in its twisting hallways and corridors. Also, because Tobias Hawthorne is just one giant mystery himself, the billionaire had installed an unknown amount of secret passageways throughout the manor which some know about, and some don’t. (Tobias certainly seems like a character, doesn’t he?)
This book seriously has everything. Though its main aspect is the mystery ‘game’ that Tobias Hawthorne left for Avery, there is so much more to it. Avery begins to discover that the Hawthorne family has some secrets of their own, and they are determined to keep them under wraps. There is also the classic high school drama that Avery must adjust to at her brand new 'rich kid’ private school she now attends. It also quickly comes to Avery’s attention that, though many people seem to hate her now, someone seems to hate her enough to want her dead. After an attempted assasination attempt, Avery must become careful about who she can trust, because the conspirator had to have come from inside the manor.
The only tiny criticism that I have for this book is the many plotlines it seems to handle. Though many people enjoy this, I actually found it to be a lot of plot information to consider and remember, especially when those plotlines didn’t really connect to each other at the end of the novel. However, other than that, I cannot think of any complaints I have about this story. I actually ended up finishing this book in only a matter of days, though I did spend some time stalling because I did not want it to end!
In conclusion, PLEASE read this novel! It was amazingly crafted, and will seriously capture readers from the get-go.
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This is the first installment in a series, though this is the only book in the series out so far. A Goodreads review can be found here.
Title: House of Salt and Sorrow
Author: Erin A. Craig
Genre: young adult, horror, retelling, fantasy, romance
Review (so far): QUICK DISCLAIMER! This is a short & sweet review of a novel that I am currently reading, not one that I have finished. I am exactly 71 pages into this book.
Annaleigh has always lived at Highmoor, a manor on the sea with her twelve sisters. However, her family never seems to escape the dressing times of mourning as her sisters keep. . . dying. How does each sister mysteriously dying one by one simply be seen as a “coincidence”? Annaleigh realizes that she must understand the supposed curse that is falling on her family, and work to stop it before it claims more lives.
I love fairytale retelling, and that is exactly what this is. Based on what little material I have read so far, I know that this story had taken the traditional Brothers Grimm story of the twelve dancing princesses, and put a spooky twist on it. As in, if I could describe this novel in one word, it would be dark. I am picturing a stormy, wet coastline, beaten ruthlessly by the ocean waves, on the island where the family resides, permanently haunted by the lost lives of their sisters. *cue full-body chills* This gothic oceanic tale is unlike any retelling I have ever heard of before, and I. AM. HERE FOR IT!
Full review to come next month!
Script Reviews
This month, I am reviewing a drama and a comedy, both of which are some of my personal favorites. One comforts you with a hilarious plotline of two polar opposites living under the same roof, and the other has you face the reality that was and still is racial inequality throughout America. Even though I’ll practically wrap up these plays in a few short blurbs, A Raisin in the Sun and The Odd Couple are still must-reads and must-watches for any theatre lovers out there.
Title: A Raisin in the Sun
Author: Lorraine Hansberry
Goodreads Rating: ✰✰✰✰ (3.8 stars)
Personal Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ (4.8 stars)
Synopsis: Set on Chicago’s South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis, and matriarch Lena. When her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. The Younger family’s heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration.
Review: When the Washington Post reviewed this play and said it was “one of a handful of great American plays,” they were not bluffing. Not only has reading the play given me a better perspective of oppressed groups of people throughout history and the importance of family, but even just reading about the author, Lorraine Hansberry, has opened my eyes to how much of a reality these situations are.
An introduction to the story by Robert Nemiroff, which was written in the copy I read, discussed how Lorraine Hansberry had to cut multiple scenes and points of interest throughout the show in an attempt to even get it on stage. This mostly had to do with the topical points that were brought up and were relevant for the time. The companies finding and producing plays felt as if these embedded messages were personal attacks and refused the concept or advised Hansberry to revise it. Hansberry eventually was able to produce her play at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway with a large chunk of the story missing, but still making sure the message was “understood” among audiences. The important part, to her, was not that Travis or Beneatha had so many lines or were in so many scenes; it was that the whole point of the story that she wanted to share with the public was comprehended. And so it was-- Hansberry’s play was a success and she became the youngest American, the fifth woman, and the first black playwright to win the Best Play of the Year Award of the New York Drama Critics.
Now that I have given you all a history lesson, let’s get into the specifics of the play itself and see what elements make it great. First of all, the clash between the main character’s personalities reigns as one of the most important parts of the show, and I believe it drives the story in a very powerful direction. While Lena (Mama) Younger is a solidified Christian, trying to do the best she can to make her children wise and careful, her children, Beneatha and Walter, make reckless decisions and get stuck in their idealistic mindsets of escaping their living situations. This calls for a lot of wiggle room when it comes to character development and how people react when they’re outside their comfort zone. I believe the best plays are the ones that have characters that cannot be described very easily, and A Raisin in the Sun is definitely one of those plays. Unlike many one-dimensional characters that are featured in old, straight plays or musicals (*cough* Elizabeth from The Crucible *cough*), each character has something they love, hate, fear, believe, value, want, and know about, and these are elements that can be found by simply analyzing the script. These elements make up three-dimensional characters, and Hansberry was not short of any of these elements when crafting each player in the game of A Raisin In The Sun.
One downside to this play that I, unfortunately, have to add is that I found a lack of character growth from some minor characters like Travis Younger or Joseph Asagai. This is simply due to the fact that they had very little stage time and never had enough interaction with the other characters or themes that they could grow from. This aspect is actually quite normal for plays-- authors will add in filler characters that make the plot move forward or make a leading character act a certain way.
Either way, I feel that this flaw does not stop this play from being a timeless masterpiece that will last as long as Shakespeare has. There are too many important themes in this story that just cannot be overlooked, for it applies to our modern situations now and will for a long time to come.
Title: The Odd Couple
Author: Neil Simon
Goodreads Rating: ✰✰✰✰ (4 stars)
Personal Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ (4.3 stars)
Synopsis: This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assemble for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it is no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger, who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed, and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal, but as the action unfolds, Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born.
Review: I saw this play for the first time back in September of 2020 at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, for it was the first show to open after the theatre’s closing in March of 2020 (due to COVID-19 restrictions). I was completely blown away by the entire performance-- the acting, the movements, the set, the costumes, and everything in between. However, after watching this play and seeing the actors deliver these witty lines and phrases so wonderfully, I wondered what made the show so hilarious in the first place. Was the physicality in which these lines were being portrayed, or was it just simply good writing on the author’s part? Having this idea in the back of my mind, I decided to pick up the script and take a look at the deep roots this show started from.
Most of the writing, in my opinion, was subpar, and the element that really saved the script from crashing and burning was the quick and humorous jokes scattered throughout. The other half of the script, which included the drama and the monologues, was actually pretty impressive and was one of my favorite aspects of the play when I saw it live.
Something else that I observed, that was particularly positive, was the diversity in character personalities, motives, and general appearance. When it came to casting roles, the author seemed to make it very open-ended, for when I saw the show, one of the roles was played by a female instead of a male, and I thought it fit perfectly. It really brought light to the fact that any of the characters in this show could be played by someone of any gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. In fact, there is even a rewritten version of The Odd Couple, where the gender and name of the characters are completely changed. I would say that this is quite an impressive feat, considering that this play was written by a white male in 1965.
The story also serves a positive message, which is sort of difficult to fully process when you have only watched or read it one time. After a bit more analysis, you definitely unlock a fulfilled feeling from the story and how it unveils the theme of togetherness by chance and not by choice. Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar are completely different characters because of how they deal with fate throughout the play but, by the end, you realize fate put them in the exact spot they were supposed to be in regardless.
Overall, this is a play that I would possibly recommend reading, but definitely recommend watching. The full encapsulation of the show relies on the visuals it presents and how much more powerful the story can be when you watch it unfold right in front of you.
Thanks again for joining me this month! See you back in May, 2021. Happy Easter!
