Play Book Tag discussion

Here is a thread to put your November Flurries in. Books about elections, Veterans, Native Americans and Thanksgiving can work here.

A link to Native American books:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Booknblues wrote: "A link to Native American books:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2..."

Perfect timing. There are so many new ones since May! Now if only there was an indigenous book with dragons. We’d get some crossover interest both ways.

NancyJ wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "A link to Native American books:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2..."

Per..."

Ask and there it is: To Shape a Dragon's Breath

It really is a great list.

I’ll be reading Enough for Election Day, and maybe a book recommended by Holly. The Seed Keeper for indigenous, and maybe more. I read too many war books in October so I need a gentler Veteran’s book. I need ideas for Thanksgiving

Jen K wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "A link to Native American books:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2......"

LOL. Brilliant. I was sure it was impossible, but you found one!

Two that I read last year that would fit with November are Butterflies in November(not about Monarchs but set in Iceland) and Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration. The Monarchs make their way down to Mexico and are there on Dia de los Muertos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0t6m...

I have two books to suggest that could fit November. These are:

November Road by Lou Berney - a crime fiction story that both my husband and I enjoyed.

Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors by George W. Bush - this one may be harder to find. When Bush left the White House, he began to paint portraits. He's really good. These are portraits of war veterans accompanied by their stories.

Finished Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley for Native American month in November. 5 stars

Wonderful blend of thriller and a crash course in Michigan Ojibwe culture. Coming from Michigan myself, I love any story that takes place in my home state, but also learning more about Michigan's indigenous people.

Daunis Fontaine is a bi-racial young woman striving to stay true to her Ojibwe heritage. She gets caught up in an investigation into a meth ring targeting native communities across the upper mid-west. Lots of suspense and twists and turns. I liked the thriller aspect to the story and loved the view into how indigenous cultures keep their traditions alive in a modern world.

November - Thanksgiving

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

5 stars

Everyone knows the story as this is in fact a book version written based on the the author's screenplay idea for one of the most famous holiday movies ever made. Not only is it a Christmas story, it's also a Thanksgiving one, opening at the famous Macy's Day Parade in NYC. It's also about faith, belief and the importance of imagination to open the heart and mind to faith and belief. I was gifted the lovely little facsimile edition of the original hardcover published in 1947, the same time as the film was released. Everything is there, including the trial and perhaps my most favorite part, the USPS and its bags of mail addressed to Santa Claus.

From the Historical Note at the end: The story has withstood the test of time. More than fifty years after the publication of Miracle on 34th Street, Macy’s still hosts its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade and the U.S. Postal Service continues to receive thousands of letters to Santa Claus each holiday season. In Kris Kringle’s words: “Underneath all the hurry and bustle people still believe in Santa Claus and all Christmas stands for.” Valentine Davies had become a “firm believer” while in the process of creating what he considered his best work. As Robert Giroux wrote to Davies after first reading the story: “We editors simply think that this is the best Christmas story since Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carol'.” Families nation wide echo his opinion by gathering each holiday season to watch the film, reaffirming their faith in miracles and the power of goodwill.

Count my family as one of them. Ever since the film became available to watch on tv, my family has made it an annual tradition to watch it at Thanksgiving, usually followed by Alistair Sims as Scrooge. Some families watch football; we go with classic holiday movies. Even if we are not together, we all watch and chat about it during those family holiday calls. I think a reading of this lovely little book will become a tradition too - but maybe a bit later in the season.

I thought I would channel the Monarch's and celebrate Dia de los Muertos by reading The Milkweed Lands: An Epic Story of One Plant: Its Nature and Ecology

Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

November: Remembrance Day

When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II / Molly Guptill Manning
3 stars

When the Americans joined WWII, someone had an idea to help with the soldiers’ mental health and morale: give them books to take their mind off things and give them something to do when not fighting. Librarians organized and people donated to the tune of 10 million books! Later on, it was decided that publishers should be creating softcover books (until this time, the vast majority of publishers created hardcover books), so the books would be both smaller and lighter for soldiers to carry with them.

As I read this I wondered if something similar was done for Canadian soldiers, too, but it sounds like this might have been an American thing. Canadians weren’t mentioned, but it seems that the British soldiers were quite jealous of the books the American soldiers had access to. Unfortunately, this book didn’t always hold my interest. There were chapters on politics, and censorship, but I was most interested in the soldiers themselves. There was some description of the fighting and such, but the author also included comments on what the soldiers thought of the books that were sent (hint: for the most part, they loved it!). The last chapter also talked about how many soldiers became readers who hadn’t been before the war. This chapter also talked about how to help the soldiers (with jobs or education) when they came home. Overall, though, due to me losing interest more than I would have liked, I’m rating it “ok”.

Read for Native American history (many thanks to Cora for bringing this book to my attention):

The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshall III - 4* - My Review

This book examines the life and legacy of Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota (c. 1840 – 1877). It goes well beyond his known role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, called The Greasy Grass Fight by the Lakota. In this book, Jospeh Marshall III, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota, bases much of his narrative on oral tribal histories that have been passed down through the generations.

He interviewed Lakota elders to probe into the stories they had heard from their grandparents and great grandparents as well as researching the available history, much of which is written from the settlers’ viewpoint. His goal is to provide the perspective of the indigenous people, and in doing so, he provides an idea of what Crazy Horse was really like as a person. He pieces together a biography, starting with Crazy Horse’s birth, death of his mother when he was four years old, coming of age, leadership role, and early violent death.

Crazy Horse was initially called Light Hair by his mother, and later, the name Crazy Horse was bestowed upon him by his father. He was a quiet and pensive man who did not seek the limelight. He did not engage in the traditional storytelling of his exploits, leaving it to others to speak of them. He had only a few close friends and was admired by his community.

Marshall details what life was like in the Lakota community. We learn how they lived, including foods, culture, rituals, customs, and ways of life. He describes the vast changes that were occurring due to the arrival of settlers. The bison were diminishing, their lands were being used as westward trails, military forts were being established, and the US powers were making and breaking numerous “agreements.”

The differences between the two groups regarding the concept of a treaty are glaringly obvious. The US negotiators wanted signatures on a piece of paper, but the Lakota did not believe that one (or even a few) people could sign for everyone. As we know, eventually the Lakota defended their land and way of life, and battles ensued. The way it is told, it is easy to put oneself into their shoes.

Marshall’s narrative transports readers back in time, where we witness Crazy Horse’s journey from a young ambitious warrior to a legendary figure. This is, of course, ultimately a sad story, but also insightful. The author inserts sections he calls “Reflections” after each of the primary topics. These sections feel a bit repetitive, and perhaps could have been summed up and incorporated into the main narrative.

Marshall delves into Crazy Horse's spiritual beliefs, his commitment to preserving the Lakota way of life, and his leadership, shedding light on the values and traditions that guided him. I feel like I learned a lot from this book. I think it is important to view history from many angles since it provides a better idea of what really happened.

Read for Thanksgiving

To the Tome of Murder by Lauren Elliott
1.5 stars rounded up

This is set starting a few weeks before Thanksgiving and the last chapter is set at a big Thanksgiving meal.

This is a fun but forgettable cosy mystery, but the editing is horrible and it's not self published! I can't understand why it's rated so highly. I did stop and mark one, but it's a spoiler (not 100 percent, by the way, and I'll use "it for gender" but it does give one thing away from the second half of the book) to the book so I realize I can only put it in a spoiler, but it is glaring. (view spoiler)["It's just that if it had taken the books out of the briefcase and left it there. We would never have put the stolen books and it together, right?" (hide spoiler)]

If for any reason you don't see the mistake, a sentence has been chopped into two in a way that loses the stream of thought. Whoever did the final editing on this book, if there was an editor, needs to learn grammar and punctuation.

Also, while I realize that language changes, some of the spoken lines will make little to know sense sooner than you might think; this is not a book written to last.

Joy D wrote: "Read for Native American history (many thanks to Cora for bringing this book to my attention):

The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshall III - ..."

I read this book earlier this year and loved it. Crazy Horse was quite a man. My visit to Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota this year was much more emotional than I expected it to be, and I am sure it's because of this book.

In honor of Veteran's Day, a novel of war ...


The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller – 4****
Miller turns her remarkable talent to Greek mythology in this retelling of events leading up to and including the Trojan War. The novel is narrated by Petroclus, a young prince who has been exiled to the court of King Peleus, where he meets Achilles. Of course, I knew the basic storyline of the Trojan War going into the book, but Miller makes this such an intimate tale that I felt I was first hearing this story. There are two young men learning about life, honor, duty, and love. I was initially taken aback by Miller’s choice to have Petroclus narrate the tale, but I quickly came to love his point of view.
LINK to my full review

November - Native American

Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger

4 stars

This story revolves around Cork O'Connor, his family, and his friend Henry Meloux. People are after a woman who is visiting Henry on the Ojibwe reservation while she is looking for guidance. During her stay there Henry becomes aware of violent people coming after her. Together, with Henry's niece, they go far into the woods in search of safety. Cork learns of this and follows them.

William Kent Krueger excels at descriptions. He writes of the forest and the methods of tracking. He tells of the weather and how hard their walk is. He includes ongoing tensions between the reservation and the town. Characters are also well developed. Cork is very likable; he is flawed, but protects people. Henry is an older man who is wise way beyond his years. The author uses nature, healing and teaching as ideas around Henry. Other characters go through transformations.

I have enjoyed the books that are part of the Cork O'Connor series. The mysteries are interesting and Cork tries to do what is right. Fans of Willian Kent Krueger should like this thriller.

Sue wrote: "Finished Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley for Native American month in November. 5 stars

Wonderful blend of thriller and a crash course in Michigan Ojibwe culture. Coming from Michigan myself, I love any story that takes place in my home state, but also learning more about Michigan's indigenous people."

The sense of place in this book was phenomenal.

Theresa wrote: "November - Thanksgiving

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

5 stars

Everyone knows the story as this is in fact a book version written based on the the autho..."

We used to watch this every Christmas Eve growing up, and I carried on the tradition well into my 20's. I did eventually get my fill of it, but I still have some quotes I use all the time (even though my husband never knows what I'm talking about :)

Veteran's Day: War/ Navy and Marines

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann- 4 stars

A fascinating and well-researched story of a mutiny that wasn't to be discussed. The Wager was part of a squadron sent to capture a Spanish ship of treasure from the East as part of an ill considered war between England and Spain. Approaching the treacherous Cape of Good Horn, the Wager crashed and shipwrecked her crew on island in Patagonia with few resources. Chaos ensued into another grim story of survival as men starved willing to do anything for food and to get off the island.

Grann is such an amazing researcher and is able to weave the research into such an engaging story. He was fortunate to have founds so many first hand accounts of the disaster including one from the poet Byron's grandfather when he was still a young idealist. I loved considering how this family story influenced the poet's sense of adventure.

Fran, you mentioned Non-fiction November on another thread. Do all NF books fit November flurries? That would be awesome. I have a couple that are long overdue.

NancyJ wrote: "Fran, you mentioned Non-fiction November on another thread. Do all NF books fit November flurries? That would be awesome. I have a couple that are long overdue."

Nancy< I said that because I have any number of nonfiction books I planned to read:

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Citizens Creek
The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. HistoryAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America

plus more.

However I googled it up and apparently it is a thing!

There is even a goodreads group for it!
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Booknblues wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Fran, you mentioned Non-fiction November on another thread. Do all NF books fit November flurries? That would be awesome. I have a couple that are long overdue."

Nancy< I said that ..."

Oh it’s National Nonfiction month! Ya gotta love all the commemorative days, weeks and months. If the Day in History game gets voted in, we can find interesting days in every month.

I’m considering…
A book related to neuroscience
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty - on hold
Night
Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes

Lyn wrote: "I read this book earlier this year and loved it. Crazy Horse was quite a man. My visit to Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota this year was much more emotional than I expected it to be, and I am sure it's because of this book..."

I still need to get to South Dakota. It's one of the few states I have not visited. I'll put this memorial on my list of places to see.

I found the Crazy Horse Monument last year very powerful, especially when coupled with the story of its ongoing construction.

Joy - definitely make the stop. The memorial is impressive, but the story behind it and about the construction makes the visit very much worth it.

Yes, Joy ... definitely a must-see when visiting SD. Highly recommend you take the "private bus" up to the work site. It's not terribly expensive and the views are well worth it!

For Veterans Day -What the Taliban Told Me

Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

@JoyD - I think between Lyn, Tessa and I, we could provide you with everything you need to know about visiting SD and were afraid to ask. 🤣

P.S. It is absolutely worth it!

The Witness for the Dead 3 1/2 stars

Honoring The Day of The Dead

Set in the world of The Goblin Emperor, with a main character coming from that book. We follow a Prelate of Ulis, Thara Celehar, in his new posting as Witness for the Dead. The story involves a few mysteries to solve and while Thara wets his feet in this new city. Not everyone welcomes a Witness in their life and Thara must manage the politics as well his duties.

Like this first one, I found this one a bit cumbersome with the long unpronounceable names. Also although the stories within tied into Thara's profession it felt more like short stories mushed together for me.

No doubt Addison can write a good tale, just questioning if she is the writer for me.

My dragon book was also very much an indigenous rights book.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose - 4 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Read for Armistice Day

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre - 4 Stars

I read and enjoyed One Woman’s War by Christine Wells earlier this year which tells a fictionalised version of this real-life event, so I wanted to read the non-fiction version of the events in the same year to get a better understanding of what happened. This is a case of a true event seeming to be completely unbelievable, and more like fiction that fact. The plan was to deceive the Nazis about where the Allies were planning to attack Europe. The way that this happened was by attaching some fake “secret” papers to a corpse, which was released off the coast of Spain. At times this book did read like a work of fiction, not only due to the story unfolding, but because of the writing style that was very fast-paced and kept you wanting to read on for more. I’ve read quite a few of Macintyre’s books now, and they have all been written in a similar way, so I am looking forward to reading his other books soon.

Read for Veteran's Day & Native Americans

Smoke Bitten - Patricia Briggs - 5 stars

This is the 12th in the Mercy Thompson series.
Mercy is the daughter of a white American woman and a Native American mythical deity 'Coyote' the trickster, who meet while he is in human form as a rodeo rider. She has various powers from him as well as the ability to shapeshift into a coyote.
Mercy's husband is Adam Hauptman, alpha of a pack of werewolves. He was turned when he was serving in Vietnam.

This book:
Near her home, Mercy is met by the mutilated ghost of her next-door neighbor, Anna, stating her husband has just killed her. When Mercy arrives at the scene she finds the body of Dennis, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. This makes the end of a truly bad day, with problems in her marriage, in the Pack and against her Pack and now in her neighborhood. Eventually all end up intertwining to form a complex plot with Mercy being the focal point.

The major monster focus this time is a creature escaped from Underhill who can bite and take over control of someone and get them to kill increasing its power, eventually causing the victims death. Truly horrifying scenes ensue. As usual a gripping story and a satisfying conclusion. Love this series!

I'm only including this because it was written by a First Nations/Native American/Indian/Indigenous author and I chose to read it this month because of flurries-- he referred to himself by all of those terms since he grew up being told that to be called an Indian was a good thing. Normally I don't post reviews of very political books in pbt since they are not my cup of tea

Living in Color: Embracing God's Passion for Ethnic Diversity by Randy Woodley
No stars because it's both theological and political and I generally don't rate those.

This book is among the most even handed and honest looks at racism and ethnocentrism in print form that I've ever read. However, it's chalk full of theology and politics (which I mostly avoid in my review).

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

Read for Armistice Day

Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory - 4 Stars

I have read and enjoyed many books by this Philippa Grogory, but this book, set just after WW1, was set in a much more recent time period than most of her other books. Set in the early 1920s but with flashbacks to just a few years previously, the book tells the story of Lily Valance, a young music-hall singer and Captain Stephen Winters, a former soldier. As we see more of Stephen, we see just how affected he was by his experiences of the trenches, and how he cannot see, or will not except, how damaged he has been by his experiences. Throughout the book it is clear that it will not end well for everyone, and the tension keeps on building until we understand exactly which direction things will take. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it had an ending that I did not expect at all.

November Flurries #1
National Nonfiction Month

Chronic: The Hidden Cause of the Autoimmune Pandemic--and How to Get Healthy Again by Steven Phillips and Dana Parish, 3 stars

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

==========================
Added
ALL of my November Flurries books - in case GR won’t let me post them all tonight:

1. Chronic: The Hidden Cause of the Autoimmune Pandemic--and How to Get Healthy Again, for Nonfiction November.

2. Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson, for Election Day

3. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride, for Nonfiction November

4. A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon, for Veteran’s Day

5. Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris, for Nonfiction November

6. Autumn by Ali Smith, for Fall Flurries, set in Autumn

I am including this here because it is nonfiction but also because Schneider's reign in Jeopardy began in November.

In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life

Review:

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

My Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day/WWI read:


These Old Lies by Larrie Barton

3 stars

This historical romance is about two men who meet and fall in love during World War I but don't get their happy ending for more than two decades.

I really liked the first half, but they make a decision at the halfway point that drove me crazy and made Part II have to work hard to win me back. Not so much what they decided as how. Something that should have come about after several long, in-depth discussions instead played out as a sudden, snap decision without even one complete conversation. It just didn't feel realistic or in-character to me.

They finally won me back in the last few chapters, but it made the second half nowhere near as enjoyable as Part I.

The history was interesting. And heart-breaking. The typos were a little annoying, but no too bad.

If you're in the mood for this particular kind of thing, go for it, but it's not a standout despite its potential. It's also a debut, and I do look forward to seeing where the author goes from here.

Native Americans

Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier 3 stars

What I thought would be a solid biography of Daniel Boone was actually partially Boone, more the history of French, English and America conflicts with the Native Americans. The other problem I had was there were no author notes to clarify where information came from, only a "selected" bibliography, Being the purist I am, concerning research, this did not sit well with me.

There is a lot of blood (as the title implies) in this book, so be warned if this something that bothers you. Immediately the books begins with the savage death of Boones son, which to me was a good sign that this book would be in-depth on Boone and his family. From that point on though, until 3/4 through, we learned more about other settlers, the Indian Nation and all the wars that took place during this time. All fine and good, if that is what you are looking for.

I expected more, thus just a so-so rating from me.

Native American

To Shape a Dragon's Breath - Moniquill Blackgoose

4 stars

Anequs, a fifteen-year old indigenous girl ,finds a dragon egg on her people's island. When the dragon hatches, it bonds with Anequs. In order to learn to control her dragon and keep it from harming her family and friends, Anequs must go away to a boarding school for students with dragons. But the school is run by their colonizers and Anequs must walk a tightrope of surviving in Anglish culture while retaining her own. I enjoyed reading this book. It was a "message" book more than a plot driven book. The book does an excellent job of showing the reader what it is like for an indigenous person in their colonizer's world. The book fosters empathy for different people and helps the reader understand how microaggressions as well as overt racism can affect people. I was hoping for a more exciting story plot-wise, but once I realized that wasn't the kind of book it was, I embraced the story for what it was. The message may seem a bit heavy handed for adult readers that enjoy more subtlety in their stories, but it would be excellent for the young adult reader in the intended age group.

Dia de los Muertos (Nov 1-2)


Ramón and Julieta – Alana Quintana Albertson – 3***
This is a retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous couple, set in San Diego’s thriving Mexican-American community. Ramón Montez is the scion of a family fast-food empire. Julieta Campos is a celebrity chef who is determined to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. Of course, these star-crossed lovers will find a way to join forces despite the bad blood between their families. It was a fast, fun read that made me hungry for Mexican food.
LINK to my full review

Finally, the trilogy is complete. I had been waiting for close to a decade to finish this story. And I had wanted to read the Autumn Throne in the month of November, to fulfill Fall Flurries. This was the first time it ever actually worked. I really enjoyed returning to this story.

There is something about these royal court stories, even from the 11th century. Power, intrigue, family rivalry, succession, alliances of children across countries, wars, greed, plotting, murder, isolation. Those dynamics remain in play today, they just have different settings and dynamics. I enjoyed this trilogy, that took me a decade to complete.

November Flurries #2
Election Day

Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson, 4 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I read Enough in honor of Election Day. It is the memoir of Cassidy Hutchinson, who was the top aide for President Trump’s fourth Chief of staff, Mark Meadows. She also worked with Legislative Affairs. The book covers key events during the 2020 election and the January 6th attack on the US Capital. Her testimony about Trump’s behavior on January 6 was especially important. We learn about the difficult decision to testify, the testimony and the aftermath. I think she was most disturbed by things he said to incite violence against his own Vice President. Many people supported her along the way and called her a hero, but others called her a traitor. She spoke of Liz Cheney with great respect.

The book covers the years before and after the testimony to give a broader perspective on her role and decisions. She provides an interesting picture of what life is like for a staffer in the White House, and what it takes to reach that position. Her desk was very close to the Oval Office, which enabled her to observe a great deal. (It seems that Trump stopped the long tradition of keeping track of who went in at out of the president’s office.) She had some interesting anecdotes, about surprising visitors, food thrown at the wall, and Mark Meadows feeding documents into his fireplace. The book begins with a long section about her family and personal life. It seemed excessive at first, but it was interesting overall.

One small incident in the book that stood out to me involves the President’s behavior during Covid. I always assumed that Trump’s staff tried and failed to get him to wear masks when it became clear that they could save lives. She tells a story about a tour relating to Covid. He was given a mask to wear and he asked the Aides for opinions about how it looked. The others told him it was fine, but Cassidy is the one who pointed out the bronzer stains on the white straps. That was when he decided that masks were not necessary. (She comments that his vanity led him to make a bad decision, without seeming to question her own judgment at the time.)

November Flurries #3
National Nonfiction Month

#3 The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride, 4.5 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Wow, this was such a wonderful read! I loved The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, and I can see how his mother’s background stimulated his imagination when writing that story. I feel the need to read everything else he wrote now.

James McBride grew up in a large Black family, raised by a mother who described herself as light skinned. She never revealed her true background to her children until she gave in to James’ repeated questions. I don’t think I’ve encountered a fictional character or story quite like this before. I especially admired her ability to ensure that her (11!) children received a good education despite many financial and practical challenges.

November Flurries #4
Veteran’s Day

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon, 4 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

A Girl Called Samson is a fictionalized story about a real woman, Deborah Sampson, who fought in the Revolutionary War. She was an indentured servant who was raised with a family of 10 boys. She was every bit as tough as the boys and she knew how to fight. When the boys left for war, she decided she would rather fight than get married. She was tall and thin, and she looked like a teenage boy when she put on the uniform. She was a good soldier, and she did very well despite some privacy related challenges. I was happy to learn that Deborah was a real person. There is relatively little known about her, and the author’s note explains the parts that are real versus what she created. (Not surprisingly, the romance is fictional.) The book is set partly in West Point, and they travel to towns near where I grew up, which was fun for me. It gives a great sense of what life was like for the soldiers during the final years of the war. I also appreciated the stories about leaders, controversies, and uprisings. Note: The story doesn’t include any sexual assaults or explicit sex. I recommend reading the author’s note.

November Flurries #5
National Nonfiction Month

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris, 3.5 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Shortened review:
In every book, he makes me think, laugh, and groan with disgust - occasionally all during the same story. He can also make me feel profoundly moved, as occurred with Calypso last year. Happy-Go-Lucky has a nice mix of everything I expect from Sedaris. I think most of the readers in this group will appreciate the jokes about bras.

This book begins with a trip to a gun store with his sister, where they took a course and practiced in the firing range. He wasn’t offended by the sign “Pro Shots: Pansies Converted Daily.” He combined several stories involving friends, guns, teaching, England and The Onion in an impressive set.

Sedaris had a very difficult relationship with his father, but he got even by writing about him for decades. In this book, he discusses his dad’s time in a nursing home and his death at the age of 98. He shares both funny and touching scenes with his father, including an accident with “father time.” Covid…

November Flurries #6
Fall Flurries - “Autumn”

Autumn by Ali Smith, 3.5 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I was delighted by the writing in this book - except - and I know this is a common complaint about some literary fiction- parts of it seemed random and unfocused. The ending felt like it was cutoff mid-sentence. The book is nonlinear, set in the Autumn months over the course of many years. The plot is centered around the unlikely friendship between a young girl and her much older neighbor. I loved the dialogue between them. Elizabeth was a precocious child and Daniel challenged her thinking in ways that I found exhilarating. He was a friend and mentor who broadened her knowledge of art, literature and philosophy. He helped her to see, think, and speak about things in new ways. We see her memories of this relationship at different times in her life. She is now an adult and she returns home to stay with her mother after she finds out that he is in the hospital dying. She visits him and reads A Tale of Two Cities to him while he sleeps. (This was fun for me to read now because I read Tale of Two Cities last month.) The book is told mostly from her point of view, with some sections involving his dreams (or delusions or memories) at the end of a very long life.

Additional topics include her relationship with her mother, Brexit, the art of Pauline Boty, and humorous encounters with bureaucrats as she attempts to renew her passport. I also enjoyed her exchanges with her sexist PhD advisor. Her mother often had a laissez faire parenting style (and was content to let Daniel serve as a free bsbysitter) but would occasionally overreact wildly to a remark. I enjoyed the mother’s inconsistencies (and the daughter’s cluelessness about her own inconsistencies), because I could recognize them simultaneously from my own memories as a daughter and as a parent. Elizabeth realizes that while she’s known Daniel for many years, she still knows very little about him.

The author occasionally gets playful with rhyming words. It got a little excessive at times, and I wondered if she is one of those writers who is disciplined to write every day at a certain time (or to write x # of pages) even if she doesn’t really have anything to say.

shelf updated for Nov Fall Flurries