'Playing Possum' by Susan Monso and 'The Wedding People' by Alison Espach

 Playing Possum, Susana Monso (4.0)

I really enjoyed how the author systematically walked the reader through the levels of recognizing death in animals. The examples were broad and interesting. She was careful to avoid anthropomorphism where possible and pointed to our human foible of assuming if an understanding is not the same as us, it doesn’t occur. As with most things in life, the answer is more grey than black and white. While some of the chapters were hard to read (infanticide and predation) she built a strong case for a diverse understanding of death within animals, just not the same as the human more emotional connection to it.

 

The Wedding People, Alison Espach (3.5)

I found this book funny and unique, though oddly quite predictable. The protagonist, going through a tough time and having a crisis of identity makes a trip to a fancy New England resort. When she gets there, it has been taken over by a wedding party – with her the only non-party guest. She gets swept up in the people and activities and starts behaving as she wants, for once in her life. While I was swept up as well, it did seem odd that she could change so thoroughly in such a short time. Somewhat surprised that this book has gotten such renown, it makes a good light read, but it’s certainly not grand literature.

'Dinosaurs at the Dinner Table' by Edward Dolnick

 Dinosaurs at the Dinner Table, Edward Dolnick (4.0)

My favorite analogy given for the difficulty of understanding dinosaur fossils in this book: you are working on a jigsaw puzzle with only a couple pieces and no picture to follow. Add to that the understanding of the time that none of God’s creatures could have gone extinct and it’s hard to imagine how anyone would have envisioned the existence of larger than life (as they knew it) reptiles based on a couple of bones. It did take decades and this book does a great job of telling that story. The author clearly walks us through the timeline balancing discoveries with religious dogma. For example, as scientists were finding 1,000s of new species during the mid 1800’s, the story of Noah’s ark was harder and harder to explain. Finding bones that didn’t fit any living creature had many coming up with very creative theories. Not exactly a spoiler, but the discoveries and theories of an unassuming Mr. Darwin helped find the answers.

'Kon Tiki' by Thor Heyerdahl

 Kon Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl (4.0)

I believe I enjoyed this book because I tended to ignore the overall purpose of the voyage and focused on the trip itself. The basis of the trip was considered racist and pseudoscientific both before and certainly afterward. In the late 1940’s Heyerdahl wanted to prove his theory that people from Peru could have crossed the Pacific to Polynesia using the materials available at the time and the winds/currents. Against much push-back from scientists and people familiar with crossing the Pacific, he convinced 5 others to join him and they went across the ocean on a large raft. His rendition of the voyage is riveting. I was most surprised at the number and variety of ocean life that followed them throughout the journey. They seemed fascinated with the raft in their territory and surprisingly more curious than aggressive. This is an interesting true tale of adventure.

'Orlando' by Virginia Woolf and 'Living on Earth' by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Living on Earth, Peter Godfrey-Smith (2.5)

I was quite disappointed with this book. There were many interesting pieces of information, but the writing often had me asking: ‘what is your point again?’. Even the habit of telling the reader what they will read at the start of a chapter didn’t help me navigate through it. The concept of describing how humans and other life started on the planet and have affected the planet is laudable, but I found the execution lacking. I enjoyed the chapter on birds – both well written and fascinating. I could now watch a whole show on Bower Birds. Not surprising, as a vegetarian, I applauded the chapter on what we have done with animals both as food and experimental subjects. I would also add I found this more philosophical than scientific.

 

Orlando, Virginia Woolf (3.0)

A lot more happens in this novel compared to the other Virginia Woolf book I read (‘To the Lighthouse’), particularly given the main character, Orlando, lives ~400 years. Again, I found her writing interesting, but not enjoyable. In this case we follow a young nobleman who starts as a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and ends in the author’s real time (1920’s) having gone through love, hardship and many other things along the way. The book is quite fantastical as the author considers the fluidity of sexuality and the similarities and differences of life as a man or woman. You can see that these are important concepts to her.

'West with Giraffes' by Lynda Rutledge and 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama

Becoming, Michelle Obama (4.5)

I found this book to be an interesting, engaging memoir that reads as much as behind the scenes look at a woman coming of age as a sweet love story of a wife and mother. I found myself tearing up several times at the poignancy of the Obama relationship to each other and to their children. Ms. Obama has done an amazing job at raising to seemingly normal children during a very non-normal time for their family while also keeping true to her own strong path forward.

 

West with Giraffes, Lynda Rutledge (4)

I appreciated that this book was based on the newspaper clippings the author found while researching something else at the San Diego Zoo. It is a fictionalized story of how two African giraffes were transported across the US during the depression. The description of how the giraffes interact with the main characters is lovely – makes one want to run to a zoo and interact with them. The backstory of the dust bowl’s effects on society was also very interesting. Some of the characters were a bit melodramatic, but overall I enjoyed the story.

'A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon' by Kevin Fedarko

A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, Kevin Fedarko (3.5)

Many people hike the main trail down to the canyon floor, but very few people through-hike the Grand Canyon from northeast to southwest. Reading Mr. Fedarko’s account of his trip makes one realize why this is true. He and his photographer friend attempt to document their backpacking trip for National Geographic. Given their lack of experience, ‘attempt’ becomes ‘attempts’ and their experience is harrowing. This book is very similar to ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed – albeit exchanging the Pacific Coast Trail with the Grand Canyon. The author also spends a significant time describing the actual hiking while also discussing the history of the Canyon with respect to the indigenous people of the area. While I really enjoyed reading about the hike, I found the lack of training and knowledge abhorrent. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they continue to say how stupid they were. In addition, the author admits at the end that he may have exaggerated their incompetence.

'Rules of Civility' by Amor Towles

Rules of Civility, Amor Towles (4)

I really enjoy Mr. Towles’s writing. He does a great job painting the era and surroundings of his chosen environment. In this case, his first novel, it’s New York City post-stock market crash/pre-WWII. We follow a young woman who bridges between working people and high society. By day, she works as a secretary and by night she and her roommate enjoy jazz clubs and diners. Their wit, charisma and unique circumstances propel them into the upper echelons of society. As in his later books, Towles emphasizes the characters’ relationships and creates a mood appropriate to the time. The book reads quickly - the prologue cleverly pulls you in with a subtle mystery and off you go!

'Ear' by Jan Prochazka

Ear, Jan Prochazka (4)

The Ear in the title of this novel refers to the Soviet listening devices prevalent in Czechoslovakia in the 1950’s. The author was a famous novelist and screenwriter who wrote fiction about the very real happenings of the time after WWII when Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet Union. It was hard to get into this book as it is written much like a screenplay – jumping from one scene to another with little description. Barring that, once you get into the groove of the prose, it is riveting. Mainly focusing on two characters, a deputy minister and his wife, the story unfolds as they get home from a dinner. The tension mounts as the husband starts to believe they are being watched and listened to by the ‘authorities’. Unfortunately, his wife is not on the same page and the scene progresses very much like the night in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?’- much misunderstanding and arguing as they start to realize the danger they may be in. If you like that play/movie, this book adds another element of real danger.

'Lonesome Dove' by Larry McMurtry

Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (4.5)

While not a big western/cowboy fan, I really enjoyed this story. Well written and with interesting characters, this very long tome passes quickly. The main characters are two Texas Rangers retired after the Civil War, who in trying to find purpose in a much quieter life, decide to take a herd of cows to Montana. After assembling the cowboys for their team, the majority of the story is the perilous journey they undergo including the treacherous weather, defensive indigenous people and various good and bad people they encounter. McMurtry does not sugar-coat the times- the hardships feel real. My only complaint was the ending. Most characters’ stories were wrapped up, but for some reason it felt off. Still one of the best books I’ve read in some time and well worth it.

'When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433' by Louise Levathes

When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433, Louise Levathes (3.5)

This is a fascinating review of China’s seafaring culture in the early 1400’s. Written in a rather text-book manner, the author manages to review some of the preceding dynasties (given China’s long history, this is not easy to do without becoming very confusing) while spending most of her time on the 30 years or so a surprisingly outward reaching era. The most shocking fact may have been the size of the ships built (>400 ft long). A graphic shows many Mayflower type ships would have fit in one of the Treasure Fleet ships. In those 30 years one adventure seeking Emperor would send 300 ships to as far as East Africa with many of China’s treasures (silk, porcelain, etc.) to trade. Upon his death, his son reverted to the typical Confucian attitude of isolation and the potential world domination of China was halted. I’m surprised how little has been written about this era, this book seems to do a good job summarizing it.

 

Look Again: The Power of Noticing What was Always There', Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein

Look Again: The Power of Noticing What was Always There, Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein (3.5)

The first part of this book discussed how we habituate things in our life generally so that we have less distractions and can focus on important things. They talk about methods to dishabituate so that you can awaken when needed. I found the second half of the group more interesting as it discussed specific cases of where this coping mechanism plays a particular role. The authors discuss the Holocaust and how habituating relatively small behaviors of the Nazis led to the most horrible atrocities. They also explained that Schizophrenics cannot habituate so they are bombarded with sensory input all the time. Given some recent concerns about the step by step degradation of certain rights, this book offers an interesting perspective and encourages us all to be dishabituation entrepreneurs who call out inured behavior.

 

'James' by Percival Everett

James, Percival Everett (4.0)

This book is a retelling of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ from the point of view of Jim, the slave who escaped down the river with Huck. Different viewpoints can be interesting, but here the author has successfully turned the story by 180 degrees. The title foreshadows the main character’s worldview difference – he is a well-spoken, self-educated ‘James’. He does his best to protect his family while playing the appropriately subservient slave. Once his wife and daughter are sold, he decides to escape, which seemed a bit odd as someone who appreciates the shadows, he then becomes a major target Overall, I appreciated the tone taken that the slaves had a whole culture hidden from others as a survival strategy. I only questioned it when in a time when the average person did not finish 8th grade, the self-educated James with severely limited access to books, pencil or paper, uses vocabulary that is indicative of a college education. 

'Creep: Accusations and Confessions' by Myriam Gurba

Creep: Accusations and Confessions, Myriam Gurba (3.5)

We have all met or are familiar with various ‘creeps’ in life. Ms. Gurba has had more than her fair share. Each chapter highlights a relatively terrible person (herself included) in her life. This book made me quite sad as it represented so many bad behaviors and attitudes in one place. While we should all face that reality, it was not easy to read.  One small consolation was that I was able to see Ms. Gurba in person discuss the book and while a serious subject, she does not seem to have been overly hardened by the events in her life. I would have liked to have seen a bit more editing to remove some repetition in the essays.

'One Soldier's War in Chechnya' by Arkady Babchenko

One Soldier’s War in Chechnya, Arkady Babchenko (2)

While the subject of this book is important, I found it very difficult to read. War told from a first-person perspective is always painful, but the writing (or translation) here was confusing such that I struggled to follow the narrative. At times I wasn’t sure where in the timeline we were. The barrage of beatings, starvation and lack of basic needs read worse than a prisoner-of-war tale. The author did mention that he merged some events and people, but overall it was unbelievable at times to think this was happeng. One take-away was that the Soviet army was horribly mis-managed from a military perspective. When beatings and starvations happen to soldiers from their own regiment, one can never imagine a winning scenario.

'The Personal Librarian' by Marie Benedict and Victoria Murray

 

The Personal Librarian, Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (3.5)

I believe I enjoyed this book more once I finished and realized that the main character existed, survived and even thrived. I now want to find out how and when her secrets were found out. What starts as a story of a young woman, without a college education who is hired to help manage JP Morgan’s collection of famous books. She eventually becomes much more as she goes to Europe and is successful at auctions representing him and obtaining rare books. Throughout her journey she is balancing this new life with a large secret. The authors did a good job in the beginning showing her struggle as the major breadwinner for her family with the new responsibilities and the worry of being discovered. I did feel the book was a little light on how she became so knowledgeable (more than dad’s encouragement) and I wanted to know more about the rare books.

'An Immense World' by Ed Yung

An Immense World, Ed Yong (4.0)

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. I’d say it was eye-opening, but that just underlines the hubris humans have with our favorite sense. It’s easy to forget that virtually every other creature on earth has stronger senses, most of them quite amazing. I enjoyed how in each chapter the author selected a sense (touch, sight, sound, magnetic sensitivity etc.) and illustrated how particular creatures utilized that sense to understand their surroundings. My issue with the second half was the length of examples. I felt it was not as concise with the descriptions and examples which led to information fatigue. As someone in the sciences, I realize if we do ever meet beings from elsewhere, we have very little chance of being able to communicate if we can’t even really understand how the majority of the creatures on earth sense and communicate!

'Sphere' by Michael Crichton

Sphere, Michael Crichton (4.0)

I read this book many years ago but wanted to reread as I had forgotten much. Most of Mr. Crichton’s books are page turners and I have a tendency to read too fast and miss important elements. ‘Sphere’ is certainly that kind of book. Published in 1987, the science holds together well today. I took my time and savored the drama. A group of scientists is called to a crash site in the Pacific Ocean. As the pages turn, you find that it’s not an airplane that has crashed and the government has set up a very detailed plan for the group to investigate the craft while remaining deep in the ocean for many days. The desire to understand what is happening coupled with the claustrophobic nature of being trapped so deep made it very difficult not to tear through the book. Don’t - I recommend going slow and enjoying the journey, if you can!

'The Orphan Train' by Christina Baker Kline

The Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline (3.5)

The background to this story is very interesting – the thousands of orphans from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s who were brought by train from the east coast to the Midwest to be fostered and hopefully adopted. Not surprising, many became basically indentured servants on farms. The author did a lot of research and followed the life of one possible orphan. She managed to balance the reality of the time without it becoming too maudlin. My biggest quibble with this book is how fast it wrapped up. The timeline felt off. 100’s of pages covering late childhood to early adulthood and then in one chapter it was brought up to date.

'The Fraud' by Zadie Smith

The Fraud, Zadie Smith (3.5)

I enjoyed this book – though with some caveats. I love the way Ms. Smith uses words and I was delighted to find out the characters in this book were all real people (figured it out when Charles Dickens enters the scene). The story follows a widow who lives with her husband’s cousin, a hack writer and peer of Dickens. She is a burgeoning abolitionist who follows a real trial of an alleged impersonator of a lost Lord. The trial is riveting as the person is obviously not of the peerage, but the common men and women are convinced (many have compared this to MAGA conspiracies). What I didn’t enjoy about the book was the very long telling of one character’s backstory. Part of it was important to the story, but it really took the reader out of it for too long. I also didn’t appreciate the use of time jumps – these seem to be the trend in current writing – but I found it quite jarring and hard to follow in the beginning. 

'Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy' by Robert H. Frank

Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy, Robert. H. Frank (3.5)

What I liked most about this book was that it gave facts and data to back up what I have always believed. While a book with many interesting points, that made it less enlightening than I had hoped. Mr. Frank does a good job at pointing out how hard work is important, but almost always some luck makes the difference in who succeeds. And that those who do reap the benefits usually downplay that luck and consider their hard work the only factor. This makes it much easier to withhold benefits from others, who appear to have not worked as hard. The whole book reminded me of Anne Richards’ famous quote about George Bush: ‘He was born on third base, but thought he hit a triple’.  Sadly, those who should read this book are the least likely to read it.

'In the Lives of Puppets' by T. J. Klune

In the Lives of Puppets, T.J. Klune (4.0)

I enjoyed this book but was disappointed after reading the afterword by the author. He indicated that he had been forced to make changes to the story by his editors. Unfortunately, knowing that, I can’t help but wonder what would have been different and was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. The book starts as a Pinocchio-like story of family and existence and pivots part-way through to a Wizard of Oz-like story with strange characters and a perilous journey. The overall ideas included were interesting and refreshing, with many touching moments.  I recommend this for all who enjoy unique science fiction, though perhaps skip the afterword.

'Digging to America' by Anne Tyler and 'The Diamond Eye' by Kate Quinn

Digging to America, Anne Tyler (3.5)

It took me awhile to get into this book. At first, I found the characters all quite annoying. The story is of two extended families who meet at the airport as they are picking up their adopted children from Korea. We follow the families over a few years as the two girls grow up and the families stay close. Eventually I can to appreciate the nuanced writing as the story illustrated the feelings of various types of immigrants, though mainly affluent ones. Whether they chose to come to the US, are second generational with strong cultural ties to their family’s original country or were adopted into these families, their feelings were oddly both different and similar. The writing was good, even if I didn’t like the characters.

The Diamond Eye, Kate Quinn (4.0)

I normally don’t read historical fiction as it can reshape my memory with regards to actual history. In this case, I enjoyed reading a fiction story about a real woman sniper in the Russian army during WWII. The main character was interesting and more complex than many of the others. Following history, she did make a propaganda trip to the US. She was part of a group invited by Eleanor Roosevelt with a mission to get US to engage on the Eastern front as an ally of Russia. Kate Quinn once again does a good job bringing to life important women in the war. While WWII has been the setting for many books, her choice of unknown heroes makes the stories fresher. I found the love story elements a bit simplistic, but I was anxious to read it quickly to find out what happens to the Lady Sniper.