'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.

'Origins: How Earth's History Shaped Human History' by Lewis Dartnell

Origins: How Earth’s History Shaped Human History, Lewis Dartnell (4.0)

The author nicely puts together many things we may have heard or read in the past about how the earth’s physical features over millions of years have impacted life in general and human life in particular. Sometimes a bit dry, I suggest reading each chapter in one sitting to get the most impact. There were nuggets of important information throughout the book. My main comment is that many things were stated as fact that are still, in fact, theory. As we gain new techniques, we learn things about our past and I expect that to continue. I will be curious to see what might change in this book in 25-50 years’ time.

'Remarkably Brilliant Creatures' by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Brilliant Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (3.5)

I was a little surprised at the level of enthusiasm shown for this book. It is definitely a ‘feel-good’ book that is generally enjoyable to read. That being said, it is predictable and a tad far-fetched. I love octopi and real stories about their surprising natures. A giant octopus plays a big role in this story and is quite a charmer. The story follows a widower, a troubled young man and said octopus. That the octopus sees as much or more than some readers will figure out, indicates he’s both the heart and brains of the tale. I did find the story to be very predictable and the idea that the octopus was so smart was a bit much to take. If you want a relatively light book with an enjoyable outcome, this book will serve.

'Going Infinite' by Michael Lewis

Going Infinite, Michael Lewis (4.0)

I found it interesting that the drama following the subject of this book continued to the writer and the book itself. For those not interested in crypto-currency or familiar with the latest fallen wunderkind, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), Mr. Lewis started this book as a study of a company and person whose net worth became shockingly large in a very short time. It sounds like a Michael Lewis subject, but the interesting part is that during the writing (as the author followed and researched SBF) the company went bankrupt and SBF was arrested for major mismanagement of funds. I don’t think Mr. Lewis made him appear innocent in his writing, but he did seem to lose his journalistic distance as he struggled to account for why SBF did what he did. Sam reminded me of Rainman – a non-neural-typical person with one strength (math/gaming), no empathy (he had to teach himself how to smile) and zero interest or understanding of how people and businesses work. Bottom line, Sam only cared about the game, nothing else. Would you want someone like that in charge of a company worth billions? Really not surprising that it failed, and he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.