'The Book of Doors' by Gareth Brown

 The Book of Doors, Gareth Brown (3.5)

This book is a very imaginative debut novel with a unique take on time travel, which is quite hard to do. I was even surprised by a few parts of the dramatic ending – which I always appreciate! A young woman is gifted a strange book that allows her to travel through doors that she can imagine. She realizes there are other books with magical properties, but people looking for them to use them for bad purposes. She finds others who are trying to keep the books from the bad people. I would have given it 4 stars, if only the evil characters were not so one dimensional. Their actions and dialogue were almost laughable. Also, at times it seemed obvious that the author was a man as the young women in the book have some stereotypical hang-ups. The book is a 4 for plot and 2 for character/dialogue.

'On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service' by Anthony Fauci

 On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service, Anthony Fauci (3.5)

Dr Fauci’s parents must have taught him ‘if you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything’. I have never read a book with more glowing things said about everyone he mentions (including every- yes, every- President he works with. Though some with less gusto). And while deserving of praise, in his telling, he rarely takes a wrong step. I enjoyed reading about all the major virology issues he dealt with. Frankly forgetting so many of them during my lifetime. The HIV/Aids epidemic took many pages, similar to the years it took to understand and try to control. I got a little lost in all the detail. I found handling of the workers exposed to Ebola riveting and the handling of COVID frustrating. Overall, much of it was interesting. While I appreciate the hard work many went through, I grew tired of hearing how great everyone was.

 

'Artemis' by Andy Weir

 Artemis, Andy Weir (3.5)

Andy Weir loves a stranded MacGyver-like protagonist! This time it’s a young smuggler, Jazz. She lives on the moon-base, Artemis, with a goal of making enough money to move out of her ‘coffin’ apartment. Weir does a great job at the details of life on the moon – from the basics of everyday to the specifics when something goes awry (i.e. fire at a factory!). The plot moves along well, and the journey is interesting. I prefer ‘Martian’ for the raw fear it induced and ‘Project Hail Mary’ the most for his imagination and the surprises along the way.

'Solito' by Javier Zamora

 Solito, Javier Zamora (5.0)

Anyone living in the US should read this book. It puts a face to the many nameless illegal immigrants coming into the country. It’s easy to label them all as criminals, but following a child who came across with strangers, shows the real desperation many immigrants have. I really liked that this book was told from the author’s perspective as a nine-year-old. His voice was authentic and innocent. He is from El Salvador and this is his story of travelling across 3 countries to join his parents in the US. While the journey was heartbreaking and scary, my faith in humanity was revived seeing how many people wanted to help a young boy.

'Eminent Jews: Berstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer' by David Denby

 Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer, David Denby (3.5)

The author has outlined the lives of 4 important people in our society and how their Jewish background both affected them and us. These 4 all came from immigrants prior to WWII. I liked the sections of the book as listed in the title. Leonard Bernstein’s history and accomplishments were fascinating, Mel is a hoot, I didn’t know much about Betty Friedan, and I found Norman Mailer basically a jerk with whom I didn’t want to know more about. While I enjoyed 2.5 sections, I didn’t feel the linkage as much as it was intended. It felt like 4 New Yorker articles put together. 

 

'The Lost Book Shop' by Elvie Woods

 The Lost Book Shop, Elvie Woods (3.0)

My friends and I are drawn in by a story about books and bookstores. We love a good meta read. While this book had a few obvious coincidences/outcomes, and some of the writing left me with questions (i.e. did I miss the part about the mother being mute her whole life? Who in the 21^st century leaves a paper note and expects it to be read?); the story drew me in. I wanted to find out what happened to the bold woman who was saved by an ancient magical bookshop. I liked the idea of finding an unpublished Bronte book, I liked the idea of a woman making it on her own in that time period. I did find the modern-day story less interesting – partially due to the writing and plot holes. I can see why some people have found this book entertaining, but the flaws stood out a bit too much for me.

'The Shining Mountain' by Peter Boardman

 The Shining Mountain, Peter Boardman (3.5)

A riveting story of two hikers in the 70’s who hiked the west wall of Changabang, a treacherous Himalayan mountain. It’s not a long book, but a very detailed account of the mechanics used to climb such a mountain. This was before the Everest glamping (i.e. Sherpa’s doing all the forward ropes and carrying the food and equipment). Except for having porters help to and from the Base Camp, the two climbers did it all themselves. I was shocked how much time it took to do the forward prep – two steps forward then literally one to two back. They did this late in the season (September) and the weather was difficult. I would give it a higher rating, but the writing was average, and the mechanics will be too much for many readers. I had a little flash-back to slipping on the ice patch in the Dolomites, but otherwise was astounded by this account of their journey.