Category: Summer Challenge Reviews

Rockin’ Reads, Part 6: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

Here’s another taste of what our Adult Summer Challenge participants have been reading:

Lucie F. on The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware: A chillingly atmospheric modern take on the classic Agatha Christie family-inheritance-murder plot. I loved that I was able to guess some of the mystery but as I puzzled over it, Ware stayed one step ahead of me!

Laura R. on Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: Great family saga dealing with issues of immigration and discrimination is perfect for our times. I didn’t know anything about the Korean/Japanese history so it was interesting history as well. A good read.

Sarah B. on The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee: The higher you rise, the farther you fall, and nowhere is this more true than in this book. Set in a vividly imagined 1000-floor skyscraper in the year 2118, it follows the lives of five teens from very different backgrounds and the ways their lives interlock, with exciting, romantic, surprising, and disastrous consequences. With a great prologue and a climax that left me scared about what a girl was wearing (the mark of ingenious writing), the story pulled me in and made me want to live among the well-developed and realistic characters. I look forward to reading the sequel and the release of book three next month!

Aaron B. on The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and and Daniel Kraus : A novelization of a film should expand on that film’s concepts & themes. Kraus & del Toro achieved that with an equally moving & romantic companion piece to del Toro’s Oscar-winning (& deserving) motion picture. A brilliant piece of romanticism.

Julie J. on The Soul of America by Jon Meacham: Brilliant, historical review of our American history when citizens and presidents have come together, not without struggles, to fight and survive battles of integration, racism, immigration, hate, just as we still do present-day. Yet, just published in spring 2018, brings a timely reminder with calming wisdom, that Americans must keep the faith and hope in our heritage. Author is Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and writes beautifully.

Nayantara B. on Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis is the autobiographical story of the author’s coming of age in Iran after the Islamic Regime amidst the Iran-Iraq War. Though life in this time is very bleak, Satrapi’s use of the graphic novel genre is irreverent and ironic. It provides a window into a very different world while still highlighting the universal heartaches of losing innocence.

Howell B. on Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer: This book with a preposterous premise—that an Amtrak conductor has died and Joe Biden and Barack Obama work together to figure out what happened—is funny and enjoyable. It will provoke many appreciative laughs.

Lucy J. on Death in Ecstasy by Ngaio Marsh: This Roderick Alleyn mystery surprised me a little with its relevance to today’s issues—heroin use in the 1930s? Always interesting to read Kiwi grande dame Ngaio Marsh’s books.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.

Rockin’ Reads, Part 5: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

Ready for another great set of reviews from Adult Summer Challenge participants? Here you go!

Himani S. on Exit West by Mohsin Hamid: A great story of war and refugees and immigration. The author uses magical realism to give us the multitude of issues that countries are grappling with when refugees seek safety and life. I want to read more written by this author. Terse compact sentences that were nevertheless poetic in delivery.

Shawna P. on All Summer Long by Hope Larson: Graphic novel + music + finding oneself? Sign me up! I loved All Summer Long! The main character, Bina, was full of spunk and loneliness after her best friend leaves for summer camp. After some misses trying to befriend the older sister, losing the cat of the child she’s babysitting, and feeling left out of her BFF’s life, Bina finally finds that music is the one thing that she has that really makes her shine. Music helps her deal with her sadness and rebuilds the ties with her BFF and the older sister. A great book to read for the summer library reading challenge theme! c:

James K. on The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan: This delightful novel is perfect for summer reading. Its depiction of life in a village in Kent during World War II is poignant and never dull. The narrative takes the form of journal entries and letters written by the various characters and it works well to show the perspectives and motivations of each character. It is not overly sweet and sentimental—there are plenty of bad actors. All the truly irredeemable characters are men, interestingly. The musical theme of this book centers around the classic English hymns that the ladies’ choir sings in competitions and at special events throughout the book. Anglican hymnody has been an important part of my own spiritual journey, so I identified closely with the healing power of this particular type of music. I highly recommend this book.

Mike K. on The Power by Naomi Alderman: I loved this book which imagines what would happen if women developed the power to electrocute others. The story is engaging enough, but it is also thought-provoking—insinuating a theory of gender disparity. Highly recommend!

Jacki G. on Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout: A whirlwind tale about a small town in Illinois. I think anyone from a small town can relate to something in this tale. Terrific writing.

Theresa C. on The Mother of Black Hollywood by Jenifer Lewis:  Can’t help but love Jenifer Lewis. To learn all she endured to get to where she is puts her in the “legends” category. This book is so precise and fast-paced. Couldn’t put it down. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Lauren R. on Situation Momedy by Jenna Von Oy: Fun, frivolous read. I like Jenna’s down-to-earth attitude and silly storytelling style. This book is an antidote to so many parenting books;  it’s memoir rather than instructional. Enjoy it as you do mamahood.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.

Rockin’ Reads, Part 4: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

These reviews from Adult Summer Challenge participants caught our attention:

Meaghan M. on Vox by Christina Dalcher: I had a hard time putting down this book about a future where the U.S. government is run by radical religious conservatives and women are limited to 100 words a day. It’s very Handmaid’s Tale-esque (Margaret Atwood does it better, but Ms. Dalcher certainly has promise!).

Ashley C. on How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson: Almost as hilarious as I Don’t Know How She Does It and equally heartfelt. I wish it didn’t stray quite so much into mid-life crisis cliché, but certainly a funny and poignant read.

Monty P. on The Space Barons by Christian Davenport: NASA was very good at doing their thing…many years ago. Now the field has changed. It is private enterprise, not government agencies, that is driving innovation and exploration of outer space. What do Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the other billionaire entrepreneurs who are building spaceships have in common? They devoured science-fiction novels as young people and dreamed of working and living in space. Now they have the money to make that happen. Science fiction fuels the dreams, and engineering makes it happen. These guys are scientists and inventors as well as businessmen. Their business smarts are great, and they are VERY successful…but the money is there to fuel their dreams. And now their dreams are coming true. To learn about the present and future of mankind’s adventure in space, you must read this book.

Nancy P. on The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett: Based on a true story, this is an amazing look at the rare-book world, high finance, and obsession with books by people who cannot help themselves. It is laughable and perverse at the same time.

Lanedda S. on The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni: Every person in a leadership position should read this book. Most people play the blame game instead of seeking the root of the problem and solving it. The main character, Kathryn Peterson, teaches you how to find the root of the problem and fix it in an organized manner. Excellent book!

Rachel R. on Sourdough by Robin Sloan: Surprisingly cute! Not my usual genre but a fun, quick read. Loved that the bread literally sang.

Allie P. on Educated by Tara Westover: A thought-provoking memoir about the power of education but also how family and where we come from shapes who we are.

Stefanie M. on The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy: A twisty plot that keeps pages turning. An easy read and a bit stereotypical in its building of characters. Without giving too much away, the diary entries were a genius tool to string the ending throughout the story although the ending itself came crashing down a bit too quickly. But I mean any book slated to become a movie starring Kerry Washington can’t be too bad, eh?!

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.

Rockin’ Reads, Part 3: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

Here are more great reviews from our Adult Summer Challenge participants:

Gordon B. on The List by Amy B. Siskind: Siskind was told that she needed to make a list of everything that she felt was out of the democratic norm for this administration, otherwise, she would not realize what she had lost when the time finally came to realize that her democracy was gone forever. She began recording and was amazed to see how many words and actions the Trump regime transgressed on. She was also surprised to observe how the actions and words mounted over the weeks that came. Many weeks were jammed with events that could have been scarcely expected when she began making “the list.” Carefully done so that judgment only is implied, this list is a house of horrors for those who want the Trump influence to be very light.

Melina T. on A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles: First of all, don’t be intimidated by the length/size of the book – it’s big but such a delightful read. The book takes place a couple of years after the Russian Revolution–the Count Rostov, who lives at the famous Metropol Hotel, is sentenced to life imprisonment within the hotel and declared a “former person.” How can a book so long be told just from within the confines of a six-story building? Towles does an amazing job at making the setting appear larger than life and his characters are so well developed and the hotel becomes as much a character in the novel as any of the human ones. This is a beautifully written book with so many lovely nuggets (too many to list here) and a wistfulness regarding how to comport oneself with class and graciousness. If you don’t fall in love with the Count and the many different characters that make up his world, well then….

Ellen L. on Come Sundown by Nora Roberts: Nora Roberts is a master storyteller of romantic suspense. This book takes place mostly on a family-owned ranch and resort in Montana and has superb dialogue. The plot revolves around a family member who has been missing for 25 years—it has a great surprise ending!

Nancy G. on The Kindness Cure by Tara Cousineau: Super-great, useful suggestions for ways to approach a stressed-out, fearful world with compassion and empathy. Great application of neuroscience information.

Cornelia B. on Florida by Lauren Groff: Spooky, unsettling, weird and internal, these stories probe the psyches and swampy landscapes of America’s weirdest state. This was perhaps the most anticipated book of the summer on lists all over the Internet!

Jana G. on The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: This was a lovely book and super-quick read. I appreciated that the underlying story was one of acceptance and understanding, though felt the ending a bit contrived (a kids’ fairy tale for sure). the images were wonderful and the story heartfelt. I will likely reread the book again in the future.

James R. on The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn: Pretty good book with lots of references to Hitchcock and other old movies. I think this is one that will actually be better as a movie.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.

Rockin’ Reads, Part Two: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

Looking for your next good read? Take a tip from one of our Adult Summer Challenge participants:

Noelani L. on The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish: Hilarious and heartfelt! Audiobook read by the author is excellent. Enjoyed this on my commute to and from work.

Leslie J. on The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian: Love his books. Can’t put them down. This one had me up late into the night trying to figure out who done it.

Laura M. on Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders: The book is written in a fascinating style of quotes from fictional characters and historical accounts of Willie Lincoln’s illness, and imagined experience in the graveyard neighborhood, during Abraham Lincoln’s presidential term. It’s emotional, touching, and imaginative. Quite funny in parts. If you liked Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, you will probably like Lincoln in the Bardo.

Robert B. on Grant by Ron Chernow: Most of us think of Ulysses Simpson Grant as a great general but a poor president. Ron Chernow’s tour-de-force biography casts Grant in a completely different mold, emphasizing his fight against the Ku Klux Klan in the post-Civil War South as well as his determined support for African American rights. Chernow also enumerates those qualities of Grant that made him the first modern general to emerge from the Civil War. This is a large book but definitely worth the time and effort it takes to make your way through it.

Holly T. on Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong and Wreck the Halls: Cake Wrecks Gets “Festive” by Jen Yates: […]Cake Wrecks is an active blog in which people submit pictures of professionally made confections that are just freakin’ WRONG. The books are the best of the worst of these submissions. Laughable spelling and grammar, literal interpretations of instructions, and questionable icing choices are among some of the travesties you’ll find, and they’re made even more amusing by the author’s commentary. The way the world is right now, we could all do with some laughter, and the Cake Wrecks books deliver.

Lakeisha H. on Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill  : […]Walking the streets that I’m familiar with in this book was a comfort and joy. The main character finds not only his personal story but the very deep and historically valid and important story of African Americans in Baltimore. What is wonderful is Baltimore becomes a character in the book. It’s not often you get to read about Baltimore in any other capacity other than crime and violence. The glory of Uptown, the impact of the A.M.E., the beauty of Charles Village, and the people of Baltimore are showcased in this book that could be considered a historical fiction. Extremely worth reading.

Tammra F. on First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Cooper and Piper made for a very interesting storyline. Piper was a treat to read about. She reminded me of a little bit of myself. She seems to think out loud and it makes for a very funny and interesting read. Cooper is just wonderful and I love that he doesn’t give up on Piper and seems to understand her better than she understands herself.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.