April, 2015

"Course Correction" by Ginny Gilder

Ginny Gilder, an Olympic rower, recounts her life and adventure as she masters this elite sport.  Although the book discussed one Title IX protest, it did not seem to delve much into the culture of the time or how that culture affected Ginny.  It seemed that most of struggles she endured were created by her insecurities and battle to accept who she was.  Overall, not a bad book, but not one that I would re-read.

"GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love" by Barrett & Calvi         

This is the story of four English women who married GI soldiers during WWII.  In a time when London was teeming with American soldiers, many girls found themselves swept off of their feet.  When the war was over, they had to make the difficult choice to leave behind their homeland and join their husbands in America.  This was a pretty interesting story.  The woman showed true courage and determination to make their lives succeed.  Although it was slow at times, I found the culture clash interesting.    Overall, well worth picking up.

"Liar's Bench" by Kim Michele Richardson         

When Mudas' mother is found hanging, she is convinced that she was murdered.  Determined to unravel what happened, she charges across town looking for answers.  Although this was a quick read, Mudas came off as a pre-teen rather than a girl on the cusp of adulthood.  She just seemed so juvenile.  Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend to others.

"Circling the Sun" by Paula McLain         

Beryl, a British citizens, was raised on a horse farm in Kenya.  When her father can no longer support the farm, she marries a neighbor.  She quickly realizes that she is in a loveless marriage and struggles to get away.  When she becomes a certified horse trainer, she finds a bit of freedom.  Overall, this was a very interesting story and the backdrop was fascinating.  I didn't realize it was based on the life of a real person until the very end.  The characters were realistic and dynamic and I found myself on an emotional roller coaster with Beryl.  Overall, a great read, highly recommended.

"Irona 700" by Dave Duncan         

Every year, a 16 year old child is chosen from the general population to begin one of the Chosen, the elite who govern.  Irona, the daughter of an impoverished fisherman, is chosen as number 700.  The book chronicles her life and her emergence as one of the most powerful rulers. 

     I really enjoyed the concept behind this book.  However, I wanted more.  The gods were not explained very well and the author seemed to skip over everything but military battles.  That being said, I would definitely read another book set in this universe.

"White Mouse" by Nancy Wake         

After helping people flee France from the Nazi's Nancy found herself fleeing to England.  Determined to do more, she joined the military and parachuted back into France to coordinate drops of weapons and supplies with the resistance.  Overall, I thought Nancy was an intriguing and brave person.  At times the book did go into more details about partying and drinking than her missions, but I guess that was just her personality.  Overall, an interesting book, one worth picking up.

"Wylding Hall" by Elizabeth Hand         

Years ago, the band Windhollow Faire secreted themselves away in an ancient British country home in order to focus on their music.  By the end of the summer, Julian a singer, songwriter and lead guitarist disappeared with a mysterious young girl.  This book was written in a type of documentary style discussing that summer.  

     Although this was a very interesting story, I'm not entirely sure that I liked the format.  Everything was written past-tense, which made the book seem less alive, less realistic.  I did like how the author alternated points of view and gave multiple perspectives on single events.  Overall, interesting and well worth reading, just not something I would re-read.

"Blood Oath:  The Janna Chronicles, Book  1" by Felicity Pulman         

When Janna's mother dies, she is left to unravel the mystery of her death.  Overall, I thought this book was really hard to get into.  Janna comes across as a bumbling child - "you did it, no you didn't, he did it, no he did it" -- the constant finger pointing was very off-putting.  I also thought Janna and Eadgyth were a bit hard to like.  Overall, not a book for me.

"Alive" by Scott Sigler         

When a group of teenagers wake up in coffin like containers, bereft of who they are or how they got there, they band together to try and escape their "prison."  Overall, I thought this book seemed unfinished.  The characters were pretty stereotypical and a lot of things were left unexplained.  The book could have used some depth.  Overall, not for me.

"Chimera" by N. J. Tanger         

Stephen's Point colony is almost out of resources.  Without a new supply ship from Earth, the colony will begin to suffer and the colonists will die out.  When the Mandate is put into place, teenagers and young adults are slated for testing.  Those with the top scores will be put through tests, all designed to pick a crew for the Chimera, the original colonization ship.  Theo, adds himself to the list of candidates and begins to undergo the brutal boot camp like experience designed to weed out candidates.  Selena, a fifteen year old girl, lives with her drunken father.  Together, the two pilot through space, looking for ore and mineral deposits. 

     Overall, I thought this was a fascinating book.  Theo and Selena were both strong characters.  I can't wait to see how they interact in the second book.  The concept of the colony, a group of people forced to repay a debt from long ago, was a unique twists on the normal dystopic novel.  I look forward to reading more from these authors!

"Lucrezia Borgia" by Sarah Bradford         

Lucretzia Borgia is a name known by many.  Portrayed throughout history as a villain, the real story is much deeper and complex.  Overall, this book was a bit dry.  It was written more like a textbook than a story.  This is definitely not a casual read.

"A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France" by Caroline Moorehead

  During 1942, women of the French Resistance were rounded up in a variety of police stings.  This is the story of the 230 women who were sent from France to Nazi concentration camps.  I do wish that this book was written as a story rather than a recitation of facts.  This greatly slowed the story down and took away from the stories of these women.  The book was very heartbreaking at times, and a story format would have greatly enhanced this.  Overall, a decent book.

"Whisper" by Chris Struky-Bonn         

Whisper lives in the woods with other rejects, those born with physical deformities and defects.  When she turns sixteen, her father shows up, demanding that she returns to his home as a slave.  After a week in his home, her uncle takes her to a house in the city, where she must earn enough money begging to pay rent and a fee to her uncle.

     Whisper was a fairly interesting character.  However, something about the book came across as pre-teen rather than young adult.  In contrast, some of the subject matter, sex for sale, didn't really speak to the same pre-teen group.  Overall, not a bad book, but I'm not sure it reaches the intended audience.

"Exhuming Mary McCarthy" by Jessica Lamirand         

Jess, an introverted and shy character, is nervous and terrified about leaving home and moving into the dorms at Colorado College.  However, she quickly finds herself part of a tight knit group of friends The group experiments with sex and drugs, trying to identify who they are and what they will become.

     Although this book was slow at times, I thought it was well worth reading.  Jessica's story resonated with me and I found myself pulling for the group.  I did not like how the author kept foreshadowing events towards the end of each chapter, it tended to take away from the story unfolding naturally.  Despite the criticisms, I enjoyed this book.  Overall, well worth a read.