Books for Adults – Page 9

Thirty Girls by Susan Minot

This novel by Minot was a tough read. You follow two stories: the terror and abuse of a young teenage girl named Esther in Uganda, Africa, who was abducted by rebel leader Joseph Kony’s resistance army, and the account of American journalist Jane, who travels into Uganda to write a story of these abducted children. It’s a fictional take on actual events that took place in the early 2000s. I got caught up in Esther’s story, which was more compelling. It told of the horrors these young girls endured, her escape, and how she had to learn how to live with the memories. Jane’s story was less appealing to me, but the account of her journey into the country had descriptions of the beauty and wonders of the African culture and landscape, which I did find appealing. I would recommend this read because it is powerful, but also told with grace.

Replay by Ken Grimwood

Have you ever wished for a do-over? Or wanted to relive your life with the benefit of hindsight? In Replay, Jeff Winston gets the chance to do just that. At age 43, he drops dead of a heart attack. An instant later, he wakes up his 18-year-old self, with the knowledge and memories of his 43-year-old self.

He gets the chance to live his life over, making different decisions, changing the course of his life trajectory. Everything is going great for Jeff, until he reaches age 43 and dies again, and then once again wakes up in his 18-year-old body, with the knowledge of both lives he’s relived.

I found this book to be well written and enjoyable to read. The characters were well developed, and the premise is great. I enjoyed this book and would love to read more with a similar premise.

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

Humans of New York

In 2010, Brandon Stanton set out with his camera to capture the spirit and images of the people he came across while walking through the streets of New York City. Humans of New York is filled with beautiful pictures of the humans that inhabit the city and the stories they share. I loved this book. I have always liked portrait photography. There is something about looking at someone’s photograph that shows you something deeper about a person. Stanton has a way of getting people to open up to him and share their stories. Ranging from humorous to serious, we, the reader, get a keen insight to the wide range of emotions that human beings possess. This book will make you laugh on one page and shed a tear the next.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life

Welcome to Three Pines, a community in rural Quebec that could really be any town anywhere, with its dynamic and interesting characters. This first book in a series introduces Three Pines and the main character, Chief Detective Armand Gamache, who is an interesting and deep character. Mystery readers will connect with him immediately. With good plot turns, well developed characters, and crime, Louise Penny’s first novel is deserving of its awards.

“The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd

The Invention of Wings

Another great novel and my favorite now of best-selling author Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Life of Secret Bees and The Mermaid Chair. Blending facts and fiction, this novel takes a powerful, intense look into the cruelties of slavery. It follows the stories of Sarah and Angelina Grimke (the first female abolitionists), two sisters from Charleston, SC. These two devote their lives to the abolition of slavery and become some of the earliest feminist speakers for women’s rights. The story is told through the voices of Sarah and also of her slave girl, Hetty (Handful), given to her on her eleventh birthday as a present. It follows both of their courageous battles as they fight for their dreams, giving an in-depth look at the injustices of slavery. I highly recommend this powerful story that will leave you touched.

I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

I Am Malala

When I first heard of the assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai, I was in shock. The fact that the Taliban treated women and girls so poorly was no surprise, but the fact that they actually tried to kill a girl who merely fought for girls to be educated was practically unbelievable. I was so relieved to hear the reports that Malala not only survived but that her fighting spirit was still intact. While I find it terribly depressing to know that she cannot safely return to her home, it is heartening to know that Malala has the attention of many world leaders and is being kept safe as she travels the world to continue her work — fighting for the basic right to education. After watching Malala’s interview on The Daily Show — which left Jon Stewart absolutely speechless — I knew I had to read this book!

While I was already familiar with the general history of unrest in the Middle East, I appreciated Malala’s overview of the formation of Pakistan. I think it went a long way toward explaining how people could have “let” the Taliban take over; how low literacy rates meant that people had to trust what they were told, and how the intolerance and hatred crept in so slowly that many people did not see what was coming. The overview of her family’s history, specifically how her own father fought so hard for his education and the education of others, also explained how Malala grew up to be so passionate about the right to an education. Even though she didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize, it’s great that she was nominated — her nomination has the possibility to inspire a whole generation. I can only hope that the youth of the world are paying attention and that Malala’s virtues are contagious, because there’s no limit to what a generation of people with her drive, courage, and enthusiasm can accomplish.

A Guide to Being Born: Stories by Ramona Ausubel

A Guide to Being Born

You CAN judge a book by its cover. Perhaps that’s not fair to Ausubel, whose book stands on merits far beyond its colorful, fantastic cover. But that’s what first attracted me to this book, and happily, the contents within proved to be every bit as fantastic and engaging.

I was enchanted by the opening tale of a ship carrying a cargo of puzzled grandmothers. Where were they? How had they gotten there? Where were they going? The dream haze of the story slowly clears as one of the grandmothers recognizes and embraces her journey.

I also loved Magniloquence, which features an auditorium of professors waiting for a speaker to arrive. They wait and wait, and as they wait, inhibitions are shed and speeches are improvised and many cookies are surreptitiously eaten.

Love is at the core of each of these stories, and in most cases, that love is sure and calm and gentle. And sometimes it is odd, and sometimes oddly compelling, as in Poppyseed, when two parents employ unorthodox means to honor their disabled daughter.

Ausubel’s writing is exquisite. Enter this book with an open mind and enjoy the strange and moving beauty.

Perfect by Rachel Joyce

Perfect

Perfect opened my eyes to the phenomenon of “leap seconds,” which are periodically added to coordinated uniform time to account for minute fluctuations in the earth’s rotation. When enough milliseconds of variation accumulate– which typically only happens every few years– a one second addition to the clock is required to maintain the integrity of our time keeping system. Rachel Joyce’s novel takes place in 1972, the only year so far in which two seconds were needed. For 11-year-old Byron Hemmings, those two seconds are a confounding anomaly that will alter the course of his life.

Following young Byron as he tries to make sense of an event that has occurred– he believes– because of the two second expansion of time, and as he tries to shelter his family from its consequences, is heart wrenching. Layered atop is a pervasive sense of foreboding that, for Byron, there is worse yet to come.

I love books with 10- to 13- year old protagonists– those years are so vital in shaping the teen, and later the adult, that one will become. Byron’s tale is satisfyingly poignant, and though it is also tinged with tragedy, it is ultimately uplifting.

Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen

Under the jeweled sky

As the only child of a doctor and his unhappy wife, Sophie Schofield is a lonely child trying to cope with her father’s absence during World War II and her mother’s cold hatred. When her father is demobilized, the family gets a chance to move to India. Sophie and her father hope that a new environment will improve their lives and brighten their hopes for the future. In the Maharaja’s lush palace, Sophie becomes part of a world she could only imagine, but she remains lonely until a chance meeting with young Jagaan Ramakrishnan, the son of one of the king’s bearers. Under the backdrop of India’s independence and partition, the two become fast friends, but Sophie knows that if her parents learn of the growing closeness of these two young people from very different worlds, tragedy will follow.

This is a beautiful story of two very different worlds that collide with devastating consequences. When, as an adult, Sophie returns to India, she finds it difficult to fit into the constricted world of her husband’s colleagues and learns too late that Jag has not forgotten her.

Witness by Nora Roberts

The Witness

Elizabeth Fitch always did exactly what she was supposed to – except for the day that she didn’t, and that changed everything forever. While her mother was out of town at a conference, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth rebelled for once and used fake I.D. to get into a club. One thing led to another . . . and then she witnessed a mob murder and was running for her life.

Twelve years later, Elizabeth goes by another name, works from a super secure home, and minds her own business. The trouble is, the small town she has just moved to is nosey about newcomers, and getting noticed could blow the cover she has cultivated for so long. An engrossing read. One of Nora Roberts better books – which do vary in quality.

Lunatics by Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel (audio – read by the authors)

Lunatics

Lunatics is the story of two men bound together by the forces of fate, a mutual dislike for each other, and soccer. Author Alan Zweibel is the voice of Philip Horkman, who is a syrupy, overwhelmingly politically correct pet shop owner and occasional referee for a 10-year-olds’ soccer league. Dave Barry’s Jeffrey Peckerman is an obnoxious, egotistical, and self-centered plumber whose daughter was called offsides in a game officiated by Horkman. Peckerman confronts Horkman, and the two begin a wild chase from New Jersey into New York City where their actions cause the police to believe they might be terrorists. They stow onto a cruise ship and begin a voyage which will thrust them into separate conflicts involving Cuba, China, Mogadishu, Israel, and Palestine.

Their unintentional intervention into world events turns them from wanted criminals into cult heroes in a matter of weeks. An eventual loss in a run for the Presidency ends their brief period of fame, and both characters return home to try and restore themselves to their former lives. At the end of the book, we find Peckerman going to an eleven-year-olds’ soccer game that his daughter is playing in. Peckerman will not like the referee.

I’m a fan of authors reading their own works. I think they can add nuance to their characters that a hired reader may not impart. In Lunatics, Barry and Zweibel punctuate each syllable with gusto. A great book for a long car ride.

Inferno by Dan Brown

Inferno

This review will be short and sweet – I was very disappointed with this book as I have read and enjoyed Dante’s Inferno. I listened to it as an audiobook and stopped listening halfway through as I found the book to be too tedious to continue. Life is too short to read/listen to a book I don’t like anymore! PS – In my estimation Angels and Demons was his best book!

N0S4A2 by Joe Hill

NOS4A2

NOS4A2 tells the story of Vic, a girl who has a special ability to find lost things using her red bicycle and a covered bridge that leads her to whatever’s lost. Her gift works great until she encounters a man with a similar ability, Charles Manx, who uses his “gift” to kidnap children.

Vic was the only child ever to escape from Manx and his Wraith, the car he uses to travel to his own special realm, an awful place called Christmasland. As an adult, she puts aside the whole awful memory of what happened with Manx until her own son is in danger.

I loved this book. I thought it was very well written. Not only was there great character development, but the plot reeled me in from the very beginning. What an amazing concept, that these characters are able to travel to a realm beyond our own. Hill creates quite the villain with Charles Manx. Whenever I see one of those classic cars that Manx drives, I get a little bit of a chill. Vic is a spunky, loveable and at times stubborn protagonist. I also have to note that Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. I think he definitely inherited his father’s talent.

DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Dracula

Dracula: The audiobook! Recommended by reviewers for its cast (every audiobook should probably be read by a man and a woman together). Susan Adams and Alexander Spencer bring this old story to life. If you have seen the newer movies and tv shows of Dracula, you will not recognize the story, so much has been changed from the original tale (1897).

Jonathan Harker’s travels and experiences in Transylvania and at the castle create a growing horror as you tiptoe down dark hallways with him and see specks of light moving and growing into mysterious figures. When Jonathan finally realizes the danger he is in, the listener will root for his seemingly impossible escape. Our heroes are a likeable group of characters and the evil Count is suitably terrifying.

The book is a famous classic and the audiobook is just that much more thrilling in audio. The story loses none of its edge and is superior to many of its modern incarnations. Highly recommended!

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep

The long-awaited sequel to the Shining has arrived! This novel follows an adult Danny Torrance (now known as Dan) as he navigates through life battling alcoholism while working at various hospitals and hospices around the country. He still has a bit of the Shine, which he uses to help others. Along the way, he meets a young girl named Abra who has the same Shining that he does, only her abilities are much more powerful than Dan’s ever were.

Dan and Abra encounter a group called the True Knot who attempt to harness the power of children who have the shining.

The book doesn’t pack quite the punch of the original as far as scariness goes, but it is a well-written book. What I enjoyed was following up on Dan, who experienced all these horrors when he was a child. I’ve often wondered about these fictional characters who have experienced these horrible things. What becomes of them after? Do these events impact their lives? This book answers those questions.

If you read the Shining, I recommend this book. However, if you haven’t, it is still an enjoyable read. There is nothing in this book that requires knowledge from the first book to understand.

I almost always enjoy Stephen King novels, and Doctor Sleep is no exception.