Book Nook Cafe discussion

This the thread for general book discussions for January 2022

What books did you select to start the new month and new year reading ?

Tell us what you just read, are currently reading or plan to read. Tell us about your favorite author. Have you read some book news? Share it with the group. Anything related to books and reading, we want to hear all about it !
:)

For a couple of challenges, I'm starting with The World of Plymouth Plantation (book received as a gift), Confessions of a Bookseller (story about a library or bookstore), and Being Invisible: A Novel, for another challenge to get one book a month off the TBR pile.

I am going to start the new year reading the memoir

Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

--synopsis
One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the looming absence of her incarcerated father.

Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley C. Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: he’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates. When the relationship turns sour, he assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her family, Ashley desperately searches for meaning in the chaos. Then, her grandmother reveals the truth about her father’s incarceration . . . and Ashley’s entire world is turned upside down.

Somebody’s Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana with a family fragmented by incarceration, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she embarks on a powerful journey to find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

A dysfunctional family is torn apart by a hoarder mother and other issues.

Interesting look at family dynamics. 3 stars

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

John wrote: "For a couple of challenges, I'm starting with The World of Plymouth Plantation (book received as a gift), Confessions of a Bookseller (story about a library or books..."

I really liked Shaun Bythell's first book, The Diary of a Bookseller, so am pleased to learn of this follow up. He addressed issues of online book seekers, as well as delightfully sharing about his physical shop and its visitors. Enjoy, John!

Alias, that sounds like a good beginning to your 2022 reading year. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.

Barbara, your review of the Jewell novel shares much about the problems of hoarding for family members. I wonder how tough a book it would be for those who have similar problems with loved ones. I cringed because i recognized the first thing you mention--i've been known to save the foil from some goodies. They were neat! I'm fairly positive they are no longer in my life but wouldn't swear to it.

ANYway, i appreciate the way you addressed the book & its problems. Thanks for the title.

Kicked off 2022 with my historical fiction book club’s pick “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray 📚

Simon, i look forward to your comments on the book. Last year i checked it out, not realizing it was fiction. Previously i saw a nonfiction about J. P. Morgan's librarian, Belle da Costa Greene and thought this was it. Bottom Line: i decided not to read it unless i cannot find the bio of Greene.

The title i want is An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege--Heidi Ardizzone. I saw it when we visited the Morgan Library in Manhattan. Shoulda bought it then!

Barbara wrote: "The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

A dysfunctional family is torn apart by a hoarder mother and other issues.

Intere..."

Good review, Barbara. I'm glad you noted the jumpy timeline. I much prefer linear plots.

I finished the slender poignant memoir Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

This debut book was published in 2021. The book starts of slow and is a bit disjointed at times as I felt some characters and events should have been more fully explored. This book is around 200 pages. I usually say a book should have been edited down. This one I think would have benefited from about 50 more pages to flesh out the characters and story. There is a Fresh Air interview of the author that has further details that I thought should have been in the book. I'll link to it but be warned it contains spoilers. If you plan on reading the book, I would listen to this after.
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/15/100627...

Be that as it may, it all comes together for a strong finish. It's a coming of age story of a women who has a difficult and painful upbringing. Her description of how she learned cope with her situation is poignant. Ford is raised by her single mom who has her own issues as her father is in prison for decades for a crime that is not disclosed until later in the book. Too say more would be a spoiler. I will say appreciated what I felt was Ashley Ford's honesty.

It's hard for me to rate a memoir. I vacillated between a solid 3 and a 4 rating. I bumped it up because I felt it was an authentic account of her feelings and experience and I appreciated that.

Quite a few reviews mention that the audio read by the author is very good. There was a long wait for the audio book at my library so I read the eBook. If you are looking for an audio book this might be one to consider. You can listen to a sample of the audio on Amazon.

Nice review, Alias. Your note about believing the book could have been longer to flesh out the story is interesting.

The last time i felt that way was a memoir along the same lines, Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir. Natasha Trethewey's story was painful but as a poet, i felt she had pared down her story where a bit more information would have rounded out the book. Indeed, i next read her book of poetry, Native Guard and felt as though i learned some of the details i wanted within those poems.

It must be difficult to bare one's life in a memoir, so in some ways i understand the lack of over-explaining. I appreciate your other comments about the book, as well.

madrano wrote: "Nice review, Alias. Your note about believing the book could have been longer to flesh out the story is interesting.
."

Thanks deb. Anyone who has been at Book Nook Cafe for awhile knows I rarely say a book should be longer. It's probably my number one complaint where I lament the lack of an editor.

I think this memoir could have been a sold 4 stars if various characters and story lines were better fleshed out. It would have made the story less choppy and easier to follow. And if the Fresh Air interview parts were added to the book that also would have made for better memoir.

All that said, this is a debut work and a good one at that.

I also should note the cover design of the book is very good. If you look closely, it's a snake. That is a reference to a telling quote the Grandmother makes to Ashley. It's hard to see on GR. If you check out the cover on Amazon it's easier to see in the larger pic.

Forgot to say this book checked off to tasks on my 100 Book challenge.
- memoir
- Debut book by author

madrano wrote: "Barbara, your review of the Jewell novel shares much about the problems of hoarding for family members.

i've been known to save the foil from some goodies. They were neat! I'm fairly positive they are no longer in my life but wouldn't swear to it.

ANYway, i appreciate the way you addressed the book & its problems. Thanks for the title ..."

LOL madrano. I think many of us have saved pretty wrapping from time to time; that's just normal. 😃

Hoarding is a truly terrible affliction; undoubtedly it's torn up many families and wreaked havoc on the hoarders themselves.

Alias Reader wrote: "Barbara wrote: "The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

Good review, Barbara. I'm glad you noted the jumpy timeline. I much prefer linear plots.

..."

Thank you Alias.
I don't mind dual timelines but jumping around all over the place is too much.

Alias, i didn't see the snake image until you mentioned it. GR blew the cover up waaayy too big for me but i could see it.

Much as i liked my final book of 2021, That Affair Next Door, it could have used serious editing, too. However, it was written in the late 1800s, so i cut much slack. Nonetheless, the recapping seemed tedious but author Anna Katharine Green probably wanted readers to see the particular details which led the main character, Amelia Butterworth, to figure out clues.

Barbara, on the few "Hoarders" tv shows i've watched (it's painful), one can see the illness and how it often effects the family, even when they move away. It is sad and instructive, i must add.

madrano wrote: "Barbara, on the few "Hoarders" tv shows i've watched (it's painful), one can see the illness and how it often effects the family, even when they move away. It is sad and instructive, i must add."

"Hoarding disorder is a DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th ed.) diagnosis assigned to individuals who excessively save items and the idea of discarding items causes extreme stress ."

That is why I found the TV shows about this uncomfortable to watch. It seemed exploitive of someone with a true psychiatric disorder.

Also a few of these types of shows I've seen seem to conflate extreme collecting of things with homes that became filthy with literally garbage. I guess that is another issue where you simply never clean you home and toss things all over. Anyway, I found it upsetting.

That said, I did find the book Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow very interesting. I read it back in 2011 and gave it 4 stars. It's a slender book at only around 200 pages.

Don't think I've mentioned the story here, but at a previous apartment, a woman down the hall lived with her son and his family, keeping the rental on her apartment a secret from them. While I was living there, the whole thing came to light. The son was forced to hire a team of cleaners, as well as paying for an extra dumpster for a while to specifically get rid of all her stuff. My recollection is that it came to light as part of a policy of annual walk-thoughs (cursory inspections) being put in place.

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Barbara, on the few "Hoarders" tv shows i've watched (it's painful), one can see the illness and how it often effects the family, even when they move away. It is sad and instructive..."

I saw the Collyer Brothers play years ago - what a tragedy!

Finished and really enjoyed Never
By Ken Follett

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/4414562528

I'm currently listening to Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs ...
I've read the whole Mercy Thompson / Alpha-Omega series but as there is a new book coming out in 2022, I decided to listen to the series in chronological order .

John wrote: "Don't think I've mentioned the story here, but at a previous apartment, a woman down the hall lived with her son and his family, keeping the rental on her apartment a secret from them. While I was ..."

Wow. That is sad and I'm sure very painful for the mom, too. On those shows you can see how much pain they are seeing their stuff tossed.

John wrote: "I saw the Collyer Brothers play years ago - what a tragedy!
."

Was the play a Roundabout production in NYC? I've been a member for decades and seem to recall seeing this play.

When I was a kid my mom used to say when telling us to clean up a room, "what do you think this is, Collyer's mansion ? " I had no idea what she was talking about, until I was an adult and learned about the brothers.

Interesting personal story, Alias. I'm still only familiar with them from what you've shared in the past. It must have made quite an impact for your mom to use that phrase. My mom just likened our rooms to a pig sty.

John, your question kinda gives validity to the legalities of walk-throughs, uncomfortable though they might be for the rest of us.

I don't think there is much confusion of hoarding vs. collecting. Painful story. A cousin of my husband's inherited his grandmother's goods. The first thing he did with her collection of collectible to antique wooden chairs was to set them on fire. He only saw them as hoarding without checking out the amount of money (time is another matter) he was burning. *sigh*

Dem wrote in her REVIEW: "I can honestly say that the premise of Ken Follett’s novels never excite me and yet once I read the first chapter of any of his novels I am completely drawn in and hooked.
This is my sixth novel by Follett and once again I was captivated by his storytelling..."

This speaks volumes about his writing. I've not read anything by him but almost every time i read a review of one of his books, there is praise. Thanks for the review.

Julia, you must have really liked the series to listen to them all again. I hope it's as enjoyable this go 'round. Enjoy!

madrano wrote:The first thing he did with her collection of collectible to antique wooden chairs was to set them on fire. He only saw them as hoarding without checking out the amount of money (time is another matter) he was burning. *sigh*.."

:(

madrano wrote: "Interesting personal story, Alias. I'm still only familiar with them from what you've shared in the past. It must have made quite an impact for your mom to use that phrase. My mom just likened our ..."

The walk-throughs were done with required advance notice for all non-emergency matters. Manager told me they were amazed to find a bathroom ceiling in one apt which was so decayed it should've been reported long beforehand by the tenant.

Alias: we're talking decades ago that I saw the Collyer play, so no idea of the actual production details; I believe the actor playing the blind brother may have been non-white, but wouldn't swear to that.

I finished the first book of the year today, First Degree.
I really enjoy the warmth and friendship that the characters in this series display. They work well together on the cases and enjoy each other's company in their off-time. It's a fun, relaxing, go-to series for me.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Petra, it's nice to see how you have embraced this series. Reading of your fondness for the characters and what they do reminds me of what i like about mystery series. I'm glad you shared those thoughts with us.

John wrote: "The walk-throughs were done with required advance notice for all non-emergency matters. Manager told me they were amazed to find a bathroom ceiling in one apt which was so decayed it should've been reported long beforehand by the tenant...."

This is the way management should run walk-throughs. As you know, it's not always the case. We found an apartment manager in our place once, standing in the middle of the living room but couldn't explain why he was there. It was an odd feeling.

Some tenants are willing to live with some odd things rather than have repair people in their space. I don't get it. The bathroom ceiling, though, would have freaked me out.

Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis

Bookstore manager/amateur sleuth Florrie Fox is in the midst of a Halloween crime spree in Georgetown.

Fun cozy mystery. 3 stars

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop

My Review:www.goodreads.com/review/show/4426585164

Petra wrote: "I finished the first book of the year today, First Degree.
I really enjoy the warmth and friendship that the characters in this series display. They work well together on the cases a..."

Hello, folks! Have not visited in soooo long. I am still among the living, just realllllly OLD!

Petra, I discovered the Andy Carpenter books a few years ago and think I am caught up. I enjoy the books a lot, for the reasons you gave, and look forward to his new ones.

Alias, you have done a great job in keeping this group together....and you, too, Deb.

Happy New Year to all.

John wrote: "For a couple of challenges, I'm starting with The World of Plymouth Plantation (book received as a gift), Confessions of a Bookseller (story about a library or books..."

All 3 of these sound interesting! I am a sucker for books about/set in bookstores.

Barbara, i read the first in the series and found it interesting. It was the occupation of the MC, color book designing, which called me to it. I'm also partial to Georgetown, so all was a pleasure. There are two more now that i may read, which i didn't know. Thanks for the info & review.

Dem, thanks for the review and warning on this book. One line from your comments sold me on the idea i didn't want to read this one. " I tired of the mantra like repetitions of words and phrases like “God’s Truth” which I have since read in reviews was used over 150 times in a 145 page novel. "

What the heck??

JoAnn, what a pleasure to see you on these boards again! I appreciate your comments. We have missed you and wondered how you are doing.

I regularly look at your blog to see if you've added to it. Continued happiness and improved health. And thanks for the visit.

I have neglected my blog for a looooong time. I should use it since I pay for it every month. Every once in a while I get an email from someone with cancer who has found my blog useful, so I have left it up.

My cancer health is good, which surprises me, my family, and my oncologist! On the other hand, I broke my back 23 months ago and it still is not right. I will see yet another surgeon in 3 weeks to see if he can repair a previous repair that has failed. A stair lift, a rollator, Advil, and a cane make life somewhat do-able. Thank goodness for books and streaming TV!

madrano wrote: "Barbara, i read the first in the series and found it interesting. It was the occupation of the MC, color book designing, which called me to it. I'm also partial to Georgetown, so all was a pleasure..."

You're welcome madrano. I think the Georgetown location is good PR for the book. Who would think the population there would love Halloween so much (I mean I once walked past Madeleine Albright's house there. LOL 😀)

JoAnn, sorry to learn about your back! How awful after all you already went through. You are a fighter, so i am sure these repairs will result in a healing. What a wringer you've been living.

On the other hand, your family has been there for you, which is wonderful. Your grandchildren must be approaching their teens soon. Yikes!

I wasn't aware one paid for blogs but your site has been a well organized one, so it's worth it. Particularly so with others telling you the value of what they've read of your own experiences.

Books get us through so much. It's neat to know how they've helped ease some of your days as you worked through health issues. I imagine your list of "Books Read" must be a very long one now.

Barbara, it's been several decades since i've been walking through Georgetown but i liked roaming around looking at neighborhoods. Unlike you, however, i never knew whose house was whose. I've seen renovated GW homes on television and marvel at how nicely they can be preserved while fitting new needs.

My grands are now 10 and 12. Hard to believe! They live 10 minutes from us which is such a gift!

One has to pay for WordPress, which is mainly blogs, I suppose. It is called a hosting site. There may be free sites out there, but when I started mine, I took what was available.

My list of "books abandoned" is probably a lot longer than my "books read" list. LOL I am one of those who never minds giving up on a book if it has not grabbed me right away. Or if it needs an editor or if it jumps back and forth in time. Like Alias, I like a straight narrative.

Petra wrote: "I finished the first book of the year today, First Degree.
I really enjoy the warmth and friendship that the characters in this series display. They work well together on the cases a..."

Good review, Petra. How can one not like a series that has a Golden Retriever in it ?

I've made note of the first book in the series for my TBR. Thanks!
Open and Shut

Barbara wrote: "Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis

Bookstore manager/amateur sleuth Florrie Fox is in the midst of a Halloween ..."

Those recipes sound delicious.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote:Hello, folks! Have not visited in soooo long. I am still among the living, just realllllly OLD!.."

Hi, JoAnn. Glad you are doing well. 💜

madrano wrote: "Dem, thanks for the review and warning on this book. One line from your comments sold me on the idea i didn't want to read this one. " I tired of the mantra like repetitions of words and phrases like “God’s Truth” which I have since read in reviews was used over 150 times in a 145 page novel. "

What the heck?.."

Indeed. Hard pass.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: I broke my back 23 months ago and it still is not right...."

Ouch ! So sorry to hear this, JoAnn. :(

Yes, books are a friend that never lets one down in good or hard times.

JoAnn, it's wonderful that your grandchildren live so close. What a boon for your life. I know you relish the opportunities to gather with them.

I recall that you were one who didn't mind dropping a book if it wasn't calling to you. It took me awhile but i'm there now, too. I guess i'm too old to give authors much of a chance any longer.