Audio Book: Dreams from My Father

Dreams from My Father:
A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama

Length: 7 hrs 13 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: After reading Elizabeth the Queen, I was on a world-leaders biography kick. Since I've always been a little fascinated by Barack Obama's dual status as politician and celebrity, this one seemed a good choice. Throw in the fact that it is READ BY THE AUTHOR AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE SWEET BUTTER, it was a no-brainer.

Basic Premise: This memoir begins with Barack's grandparents and follows through to his wedding to Michelle Obama. It does not, as I assumed it would, address his presidency, or even his senate seat. It was published in 2004, as you may notice, 5 years before Obama took office. (For the record, I did not notice and had to look it up.) It focuses on his father, the void his absence left in Barack's childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, and his journey to finding the role his father's legacy would eventually play in his larger life.

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
First of all, I don't care what the book is about - if Barack Obama is speaking, I'm listening. There were actually a few times I got caught up in the timbre of his silky smoothness that I realized I didn't know what was going on and had to go back. 

Voice-appeal aside, this book was far more interesting that I had expected. I think I knew his mother was from Kansas, but I had never really thought much about it. When describing his parents, he drew on his mother's Kansas roots when he contrasted her to his Kenyan father. As his maternal grandparents were instrumental in his upbringing, it was neat to read about the role Kansas played in their lives. I also had no idea that he spent several years of his young life in Indonesia, a country I visited last year and to which I have some family ties. But I particularly enjoyed his early years struggling as a community planner in Chicago prior to the meteoric rise we all know about. He had to work closely with churches and church leaders, and his spiritual development, while not discussed at length in the book, is an object of fascination. The book's primary focus is on his father, and during this time in his life, he takes a trip to Kenya to meet his father's family, including brothers and sisters. This trip proved very formative in his journey to find a place for his father in his own life.

I was disappointed that it stopped so soon, but it did pique my interest about reading The Audacity of Hope. Unfortunately, it was not available on Overdrive, nor was Michelle's biography.
:(
Maybe some day!

Book: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

Length: 264

Format: Paperback
Price:  $11.24 on Amazon
How I Heard: This title was the only one I had heard of on my Ethnic Literature course list. (And the only one that gets its own post!)

Basic Premise: Janie Crawford has led a sheltered and rather privileged existence for a colored girl under the pear tree with her grandmother. When her ailing grandmother convinces her to marry, however, that charmed existence goes up in smoke as Janie learns to navigate the wider world of work and strength and men. 

My Take: 9.8 out of 10 (scale here)
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I read it amidst a list of books which left me angry and confused, but this one left me feeling real and hurt and loved and free, which is really what books should do. I can't believe I had never had occasion to read it before this class.

First of all, I fell head-over-heels for Janie. Her poise and self-control, coupled with her sharp wit and discretion made her a quick object of my admiration, mainly because I posses none of those things. The hardships she endures at the hands of the men in her life make her better instead of bitter, and it makes things all the better when she finally does find happiness. But oh the happiness...I don't want to give anything away, but ohmygoodness...you just have to read it. Really, you should.

Hurston's dialogue was read-out-loud hard, and when I couldn't figure it out even then, I found the book on Hoopla and listened to Ruby Dee's BRILLIANT rendition. (Truly, if you are interested in this book, let Ruby read it to you.) Hurston is famous for her use of Southern dialect. She is also famous for being utterly unappreciated in her own time. The woman died on welfare, struggling to make ends meet because her brilliance wasn't recognized until well after her death. Because Hurston wasn't writing about race in the Harlem Renaissance (which, if you're unfamiliar with the movement, was about racial inequality), she was shunted to the side in favor of others who were. Hurston, instead, was writing about identity, feminism, and independence (and I know this because I did a paper and a presentation on Hurston and am now an expert). 

I gave this a 9.8 only because I suspect the fact that all the other books for this class were so horrible had a pull on my emotions and therefore may have inflated my experience a bit. Regardless, this was a truly excellent book that will go down as one of my all-time favorites.

Audio Book: Elizabeth the Queen

Elizabeth the Queen:
The Life of a Modern Monarch
by Sally Bedell Smith

Length: 21 hrs 20 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: I read Diana, Her True Story because I stumbled upon it at the library, but I was looking for a biography on the queen. When I saw this one on Overdrive, I thought PERFECT. 

Basic Premise: This biography of Elizabeth II chronicles the queen's life and reign, beginning with the abdication of her uncle, Edward the VIII, the reluctant reign of her father, George VI, and her premature ascension to the throne at the age of 26. It follows through her marriage and family life, the larger diplomatic and societal struggles of her reign, and the challenges her children and their spouses have posed to the monarchy. Having been published in 2012, it would seem that it concludes somewhat prematurely.

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)
Obviously, because of my extensive knowledge on the queen gleaned from watching The Crown, I fancied myself the expert. (Did you appreciate my very British phrasing there?) Having recently watched the second season, I can say there were few surprises. However, as I went on, I realized I was, in effect, getting spoilers. My expertise really starts in the 80s, so the rest of the 60s and all of the 70s was a blank slate. It was interesting to see the things the show included and skipped as opposed to Smith's account. There were a few that weren't mentioned in the biography, which caused me to wonder about their historical accuracy. (There is a historical companion to the show, but I have not read it. I put it on my Christmas list, but then I thought that was displaying my obsession a little too broadly, so I took it off.) Overall, though, the picture of the queen, painted both by the show and this biography, is that she is the essence of poise and dignity, but isn't afraid to ride her horses, yell at the races, adjust to the times, and occasionally (though rarely), do the unexpected.

I haven't figured out royal biographies yet. This was clearly an unauthorized biography, although Smith has met Queen Elizabeth several times. She frequently quoted Charles's biographer, or Philip's biographer, so there is some sort of official capacity for biographers, I just haven't figured that system out. I don't know if the biographer is assigned by the palace, or whether the object picks someone they like, or whether Queen Elizabeth's official biography has been all but completed and he/she is just waiting for the queen to kick the bucket...? I don't know. Either way, I was pretty pleased with this one. There were times where I felt she was stretching, grasping for something meaningful to report, but overall, I liked it. Smith has also written a biography of Princess Diana and has recently released a biography of Prince Charles. Having just read about (and frankly, feeling a little tired of) Diana, I'm not really up for that one, and as Charles is perhaps the royal personality I find least interesting, I'll be skipping that one, too. Maybe if she writes one on Kate, Meghan, or one of the boys...

Audio Book: Love Warrior

Love Warrior
by Glennon Doyle

Length: 7 hrs 45 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard:  I follow her on Instagram since reading Carry On Warrior

Basic Premise: This memior chronicles the story of Glennon's marriage, how she handled her husband's shocking infidelity, and how she was able to rise and continue with her marriage, raising their three children, and living life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I fully intended to read this book right after it came out, but I got busy and then kind of forgot. And then I was playing that game where your last audio book has expired and the book you really want isn't available, so you sort of search whatever you can think of that sounds interesting because you don't want to start doing laundry and going on your morning walk without one. Somehow this one popped up and was available, so I snagged it. I knew this book was about Glennon's marriage. I also knew her marriage ended the week the book was released. Lastly, knowing Glennon through her other book, her blog, and her social media presence, I knew it would be very poignant and honest.

Love Warrior did not disappoint. It was raw and authentic (and included language that would have made listening out loud difficult with my kids around) and gut-wrenching, as her writing usually is. It was also wonderfully simple, as her writing usually is. She can say a lot with only a few words, and her skill puts her right up there with Lewis in my book. Her circumstances, flanked by her history with substance abuse and eating disorders discussed at length in Carry On Warrior, and revisited to a lesser extent in this book, are the sort you would see in a movie. Maybe one day, we will!

Listening to a book is always different than reading it. Glennon reads it herself (another thing I love about audio books...when the author reads it!), and she has a high, sort of tinny voice. As I always listen to books at at least 1.25 speed, she sounded a little like a chipmunk. I had to slow it down to curb the effect. But otherwise, I really did enjoy this book. It's hard for me to fathom an experience like the one she describes here (and I both hope and expect to keep it that way!), but reading books like this, in addition to increasing my compassion, makes me grateful for my own blessings.

Book: The Magnolia Story

The Magnolia Story
by Chip & Joanna Gaines

Length: 208

Format: Hardback
Price:  A Christmas gift from my kids!
How I Heard:  A Christmas gift from my kids!

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
This was a cute story about two cute people with a cute show. Cute is really the adjective. I read up on this book to see whether I wanted to read it. Our family loves to watch their show together (and there aren't very many shows that we can say that about...I think the only other one is "Dick Van Dyck") and the reviews were pretty brutal. It's true that the writing was not top-notch, but she's a designer, not a writer, so I feel like that's okay...? Anyway, the kids thought it would make a good Christmas present, and they were right. I really enjoyed it - it was a quick, fun read. Perfect for winter break!

The story is told by both Chip and Joanna (the font changes to indicating who is talking), but 80+% of the narrative is Joanna, with Chip piping in every once in a while. It begins with an accidental and humorous anecdote that resulted in the birth of their TV show, and then goes back to the start of their relationship. In equal measures, I would call it interesting, funny, entertaining, and inspiring. But there are also some eyeroll-worthy moments. For example, it was commonplace for Chip to sell something or buy something or do something huge without talking to his wife. Her attitude toward the whole thing seems to be, "Just go with it," which doesn't seem realistic to me at all. Maybe that's because I would never dream of doing something like that to my spouse, and I would murder him if he did something like that to me...?

Anyway, I liked this book. I will probably keep it instead of selling or giving it away (which is what I usually do with books), so that's a pretty good mark of how much I enjoyed it.

Book: Diana, Her True Story

Diana: Her True Story - In Her Own Words
by Andrew Morton

Length: 432

Format: Paperback
Price: free from the library

How I heard: I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about my obsession with the British royal family, but it’s been a real thing since August 31, 1997. (If you aren’t familiar with significant royal dates, that is the day Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris.) I was not obsessed with Disney princesses, nor can I claim a particular affinity for celebrities, but there was something completely fascinating about that entire ordeal, and like much of the rest of the world, I was sucked in. I read everything I could get my hands on. I watched news reports. I remember sitting in my EO in eighth grade and watching the coverage on Channel 1. I remember saving my money and buying People magazine and Time magazine and Newsweek. (I also remember my brother making fun of my obsession and drawing all over the cover of one of the magazines. My parents made him go buy me a new one. Score!) My social studies teacher offered an extra credit assignment in which we could write a summation of any news story that took place during the school year. Although I didn’t need the extra credit, I took the opportunity to write a lengthy essay without doing a scrap of research.

When the movie The Queen came out in theaters, my husband very thoughtfully took me to see it, and then bought me the movie for Christmas. When Prince William got engaged, I woke up early to watch the wedding. And when I discovered the TV show “The Crown” on Netflix, I did a little else until the first season was finished, and I have been waiting with bated breath for December 8th. And when I discovered a series of documentaries on the queen and her family to celebrate 100 years of the house of Windsor... well, you get it.

All that said, I decided to read a biography on the queen and so I started browsing shelves at the public library. However, before I could find one I liked, I stumbled upon Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton. Of course, I was familiar with this title from my Diana days. It was the shocking biography released in 1992 that ruffled all sorts of feathers within the royal family and without. Though her involvement was officially kept secret until after her death (though rumors were rife), the forward of the 25th anniversary edition reveals covert efforts to smuggle recordings from Diana’s home at Kensington Palace to Andrew Morton via a mutual friend. Since book was on the shelf, I thought would give it a try.

My Take: 6/10

As one might predict, it is not first class writing. At times it felt as though Morton was lost in the story he was telling, repeating himself and struggling to find a thread that would carry him through and bring cohesion to the isolated incidents he was reporting. As he was a news correspondent writing a biography, perhaps we should forgive him this.

Aside from the sporadic style, the book itself was interesting because after the forward, there were transcripts of the tapes in this edition. What can be read there is as close to an autobiography as there will ever be. In this addition, there is also information about the years that followed the book’s publication, which includes the divorce, her controversial work on the landmines campaign in Africa, and of course, her death, funeral, and the rather embarassing reaction of the royal family. With my recent rewatch of “The Crown,” these details were made all the more interesting.

Sister was very taken with the cover of this book. I think she thought Diana was pretty. She asked me who she was, and when I explained, she asked me to read the book out loud to her. I read some small sections, and when we had to give the book back to the library, she asked if we could go buy it. I told her no, but I did purchase this for her for Christmas:

Overall, this wasn’t a great book, but I can see why it caused such a “fuss.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off reading about Prince Harry’s engagement. (Which, if you want to know, is completely interesting in itself, because when his great great uncle wanted to marry an American divorcée 80 years ago, he had to abdicate, and when Harry’s great aunt wanted to marry a British divorcee 20 years after, she was refused. What a difference a few generations can make!)

Book: Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie

Length: 288

Format: Kindle Book
Price: $6.99

How I heard about it: A student of mine read it and recommended it, and then I saw the trailer for the new film.

Basic Premise: Set against the snowy backdrop of Eastern Europe in the dead of winter, this book tells the story of the mysterious murder of a gangster on board the stranded Orient Express. Everyone is suspect, but fortunately, the hailed detective Hercule Poirot is on board and on the case.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

This was fun! I downloaded it at the tail end of our Disney trip, and thankfully Sister needed next to no help on the flight, and I was free to read. I had the book finished by the following day and Husband and I even made it out to see the movie that evening!

The book was good and interesting, but only someone as skilled as Agatha Christie could get away with such a formulaic approach to the storytelling. In perhaps a predictable manner, the crime is committed, and the suspects are interviewed...and there are many. Everyone on the train, in fact, is under suspicion. The act of calling each one in individually to get his/her story would be an easy place for readers to get bored and check out, because the suspects just keep coming. However, Christie's masterful use of both language and detail keep the reader riveted, and I am convinced that even a reluctant reader would want to keep going. It was excellent, excellent writing. The story itself was interesting, though I will say Christie depended a bit on the audience's familiarity with her protagonist, as this is the 11th book in a series. It felt a bit Westing Game-ish because of the large and varied cast of characters who all seem to be connected, but with a more serious tone. I didn't see the end coming (though perhaps I should have...the details were there!)

But I have to share my favorite moment of the book. Before he is murdered, the gangster offers Poirot a job. Here is his response:

Brilliant.

Book: The War that Killed Achilles

The War that Killed Achilles
by Caroline Alexander

Length: 320

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - checked out from the public library

How I heard about it: Searched "The Illiad" at the public library

Basic Premise: This is a scholarly retelling of Homer's classic The Illiad which sheds new light not only on the story, but on its history and significance, both in its own time and in ours.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I really, really love this story. There is something about Ancient Greek, and later, Roman culture that I find completely fascinating. In my Arthur class, there were many references to Aneas and the founding of Rome, and once the class wrapped up, I found myself short on the old-style reading I'd been living and breathing for the past three weeks. Not having read The Illiad in its entirety and aware I was starting back at work and my reading time would be limited, I opted for this commentary rather than the story itself, feeling that it would both help keep my skills sharp and provide a thorough literary analysis. It did both. So many different versions of this story exist, and Alexander did a fantastic job of sticking to the original but addressing how this story served as a root for many other legends and myths of the time. What I appreciated most, however, was how it dug into the character. Achilles is widely perceived as pompous and conceited, certainly irreverent and possibly even without honor. However, as Alexander notes, there is far more to this character than simply the way he conducts himself in battle. One thing I didn't realize is that The Illiad ends with Hector's defeat, not with the death of Achilles. For that, we must read The Odyssey, which I think is on my horizon in the next few years.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It made me wish there was a class on Homer like my class on Arthur!

Book: The Girl from Everywhere

The Girl from Everywhere
by Heidi Heilig

 

Length: 480

Format: eBook
Price: Free -downloaded from Overdrive

How I heard about it: it's on the book list I made from my YAL conference

Basic Premise: Sixteen-year-old Nix has been sailing with her father since she was two years old, but the thing about her father's ship is that it doesn't just sail the high seas, it sails through time. Desperate to return to a time when her mother exists, her father will stop at nothing to find a map that will take them there, even if it means sacrificing Nix's life.

My Take: 6 out of 10 (scale here)

This book was recommended at my young adult literature conference and one of my best readers this year read it and loved it. I did not feel the same way. I liked Nix and her sea-fairer persona, and the concept was interesting enough, but the odd arrangement of language and sporadic style of the writing had me constantly rereading and trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I did go back and forth between the book and the audiobook (which I also checked out form Overdrive), so that might be able to account for part of it, but mostly, I had to work to hard for a story that didn't really pay out. It's not one I'm buying for my shelf at school (although it is clean enough to).

1. Scythe by Neal Schusterman
2. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
3. Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Front Lines by Michael Grant
5. Steeplejack by AJ Hartley
6. The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
7. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige ABANDONED (reason here)
8. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
9. The Reader by Traci Chee
10. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
11. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
12. Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavski (review here)
13. The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
14. The Best Man by Richard Peck
15. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart (review here)
16. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
17. This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
18. The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
19. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola
    20. The Serpent King by Jeff Zetner  

Book: Lily & Dunkin

Lily & Dunkin
by Donna Gephart

Length: 352

Format: eBook
Price: Free -downloaded from Overdrive

How I heard about it: it's on the book list I made from my YAL conference

Basic Premise: Two outcast middle schoolers find that, amidst their struggles, joy can be found in friendships if they will take time to look closely.

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)

This book was recommended at my young adult literature conference. I would definitely categorize as elementary it in terms of readability and style. However, it deals with a very controversial issue, which may be better suited for older readers. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have chosen a book like this, but I had a student this year going through some of these issues, and as I believe that reading is one of the best conductors of empathy and understanding, I checked it out on Overdrive and started it on the flight.

Like many middle schoolers, the two main characters have social issues that isolate them from their peers. Dunkin is bipolar and hallucinates. His father is out of the picture, but the reason for this is unclear until the end of the story. Tim was born a boy but is a girl in his heart and has renamed himself Lily. His mother and sister are supportive, but his father doesn't understand and the kids at school have begun to target him. The friendship that develops between the two is unlikely and painfully awkward at times, but the ending is quite heartwarming.

I think the author handled this delicate topic quite well. I was particularly interested to read the note to the reader following the conclusion of the story. In it, she discusses her own personal struggles with her son's bipolar disorder and her interest in a transgender girl she encountered when she was young.

1. Scythe by Neal Schusterman
2. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
3. Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Front Lines by Michael Grant
5. Steeplejack by AJ Hartley
6. The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
7. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige ABANDONED (reason here)
8. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
9. The Reader by Traci Chee
10. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
11. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
12. Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavski (review here)
13. The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
14. The Best Man by Richard Peck
15. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
16. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
17. This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
18. The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
19. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

20. The Serpent King by Jeff Zetner