Twister by Genanne Walsh is a highly recommended story of turbulence in a small town. There is an actual tornado in the story, but the real storm is in the interpersonal relationships.
It feels like a storm is coming to a small Midwestern town that has fallen on hard times economically. All the residents can feel the change in the air and comment on it, even as the weather announcer on the radio forecasts the warnings. Walsh slowly introduces the residents of this town, revealing their inner thoughts, secrets, and longings. The town is a cyclone of unresolved issues and ongoing grievances.
A mother, Rose, is beside herself with grief as she mourns the death of her soldier son, Lance. Stella is Rose's estranged stepsister. What caused the rife between the two when they once were so close is not revealed until later in the novel. Walsh continues to introduce us to Rose's neighbors (the old man, Perry, Nina, Sill), Ward (Stella's husband), Louise (a local bank teller), and Scottie (the current owner of the shoe store), all while allowing the foreboding tension to slowly rise and build. You know things have happened in the past. You know something is going to happen - between individuals and with the approaching the storm.
Walsh does an excellent job capturing the complex emotions and interpersonal connections between the residents while allowing the reader insight into their thoughts. The beauty of allowing us to get an insider's view into each character makes them more human and complex individuals. My one qualm was with the pacing. It seemed to move too slowly and the big insights into the characters really don't come until later in the novel. Additionally, once the twister hit, we heard nothing more about it for pages while Walsh shares additional backstory. At times this slow, steady pace seemed detrimental to the plot. On the other hand it, did evoke the slower, measured routine of life in a small town, where daily routines and secrets are known about almost everyone.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Black Lawrence Press for review purposes.
Findings: An Illustrated Collection by Rafil Kroll-Zaidi is a recommended, irreverent collection of the bizarre and beloved back-page column of Harper's Magazine. What the column does is present a tidbit from a scientific study somewhere and illustrates the often hilarious and absurd fact.
"Scientists made graduate students provoke spitting cobras into attacking them."
"The faces of Lego people have been growing angrier."
"Vanilla yogurt gives mice glossier coats and larger testicles."
"Pond snails on crystal meth are better at remembering pokes from a sharp stick."
"Croatian boy previously thought to be magnetic was more recently thought simply to be very sticky."
The very short book has a long A Conversation with the Author section and includes citations for each scientific fact presented and illustrated.
As noted in the Conversation with the Author section: "I think the people who read this column and understand and appreciate it are over the idea that science takes place for science’s sake, to the extent that this idea both is and isn’t true. Findings celebrates the idea that modern science is a tremendously powerful and productive and beneficial and motivating and clarifying force, but the idea that everything that goes on is part of this heroic, conclusive, triumphalist narrative is also silly. You know, the universe defies and denies and startles and confounds us just as our own bodies defy and deny and startle and confound us. Findings’ being funny is partly a corrective to that particular form of triumphalist narrative."
The greatest drawback and reason for many of the low ratings is that this is a very, very, extremely short book. You also may need to take note that some of the facts contain more earthy humor.
All of Us and Everything by Bridget Asher is a recommended book about an eccentric, dysfunctional family of women.
Augusta Rockwell was an eccentric mother as far as her three daughters are concerned. Esme, Liv, and Ru all grew up hearing that their absent father was a spy and couldn't have any contact with them for their safety. Their mother devoted her life to starting movements, unsuccessfully. Now all of their lives are in flux and weathering storms that will bring them home and, once there, they are going to learn some truths about themselves and their absent father.
Augusta survives a literal storm, Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane leads to the discovery of some letters that are given to Augusta. At the same time Esme and her teenage daughter, Atty, are reeling from their husband/father running off with his dentist in France. Atty is hyper-connected to social media and tweets incessantly. Liv is done with yet another marriage and needs to go to rehab. Ru, after one best-selling book, has left the country to do research for another book, but may just be trying to escape her engagement. All the daughters head home, ostensibly to help Augusta recover from the storm.
Really, most of the storm recovery consists of airing the emotional baggage they have all been carrying for years. None of the sisters really like each other or their mother. Augusta is an eccentric, but not as crazy as the girls imply. Augusta was a wealthy single mother, so the girls grew up in a safe, secure environment. I couldn't help but think that all of the damage they claim as a direct result of their childhood was not necessarily as awful as they claim. Okay, some things were explained as unknown outside interference, but still... Stuff happens. You move on. While I basically liked this book, I had a hard time feeling a lot of empathy for any of the characters - with the exception of Atty.
This is an entertaining, light novel. You are going to be able to read it quickly and follow the action and the quirky emotional angst of all the characters. Even though I didn't connect with any of the characters, I was interested in what happened to them and what they learned about their father, and in the process their mother. The writing is decent, though some of the dialogue felt forced.
Yesterday's Gone: Season Two by Sean Platt & David W. Wright is a continuation of the serialized set of six books/seasons. Each book is broken down into episodes. After reading Season One, I continued on to Season Two and I'll have to admit that my feelings about the series have plummeted to a so-so rating. There is too much swearing, gore, violence, and not enough character and plot development for me. Sure there is action and lots of stuff going on, but the forward movement seemed lacking. Action just for its own sake is not plot development. Obviously, I'm in the minority as most readers are rating it higher but this second book, while entertaining, will be my last in the series.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Collective Inkwell for review purposes.
Yesterday's Gone: Season One by Sean Platt, David Wright is a (maybe) highly recommended start to a serialized post-apocalyptic series.
The premise to Yesterday's Gone grabbed my attention immediately: very few people are left alive after a world changing event occurred at 2:15 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, on October 15th. At that time everyone fell asleep and then 99.9% of the world's population simple vanished after a reported dark cloud ascended on everyone. There are other, odd things missing as well.
The book is written as if you are following episodes of an ongoing TV series where, as the questions abound and multiply, all the answers are yet to be revealed. The episodes introduce us to the cast of characters: a journalist, a serial killer, a mother and daughter, several teens, a special agent, and an eight-year-old boy, and then follow their actions as they try to figure out what has happened and where they should do. As they are seeking answers, terrifying creatures/monsters begin to appear and are becoming more and more common. The monster only purpose seems to be to kill the survivors.
But, you need to know going into this that it may be a long haul to get some answers since this is "season one" of six so-called seasons (books) and each season contains "episodes." I would agree that this first book did make me think of The Stand and Lost, but, at this point after season one, it's not nearly as good as either of those. It's also clear that some scenes and actions are loosely based on other shows and books, which may bother some readers.
The good news is that you can likely find a digital copy of this first season somewhere for free. The bad news is that there are currently 6 seasons. The good news is that it is fast-paced, entertaining, sometimes gruesome, and additively readable. The bad news is the writing quality and character development aren't always very good.
Gold!: The Story of the 1848 Gold Rush and How It Shaped a Nation by Fred Rosen is a recommended nonfiction account of the historical California gold rush and how it changed American culture.
When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California on January 24, 1848, it infected the nation with gold fever. "Over the next six years, three hundred thousand prospectors raced to the California gold fields to make their fortunes, leaving their lands and families behind in order to chase a dream of easy wealth, but all too often encountering a reality of lawlessness, disease, cruelty, and death."
Rosen, a former columnist for the New York Times, weaves historical facts and details into this account of the real people and places of the gold rush era and the get-rich-quick mentality it ignited in average citizens. He argues, while presenting the historical information on the discovery of gold and the subsequent gold rush, that once the common man could dream of instant wealth it fundamentally changed American culture to one of selfishness and greed.
Having read several books on the California gold rush (as well as the Black Hills discovery and the Nevada Comstock Lode which are mentioned too) I did find Rosen's account easy to read and basically informative. Since I read it while on vacation, it suited me perfectly under the circumstances. I am admittedly unsure of his Jesse James argument. Those who follow my reviews will understand that the lack of source notes and very short bibliography bothered me; I like my nonfiction to have some great notes and a thorough bibliography.
The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart is a recommended novel with a Christian based message.
Brock Matthews’ life looks like it is going great from the outside. He is part owner of a family owned multimillion dollar coffee importing business. He is married and has a teenage son. The problem is that his marriage is in trouble, he's distant from his son, and the business is in trouble according to his brother, the majority owner of the company. Brock has been having some strange dreams too, featuring his late father. He needs to find a way to change the course of his life.
When Brock shares the fact he is still having troubling dreams with a friend, his friend gives him a book on lucid dreaming. Brock begins to put into practice the information and techniques in the book and starts to control his dreams. He goes back in time and talks to his younger self, his father, and his wife and shares advice. When he discovers that the dream conversations are affecting his real life, he also notices that the change isn't for the better.
In the end, Rubart presents a valuable and clear message about loving your family and others. But the main, essential message is the importance of totally surrendering to and relying on God completely. The inspirational message will appeal to those who enjoy Christian fiction.
I have no problem with Christian fiction, but I did have a few quibbles with this novel. The Five Times I Met Myself is a well written novel but, for me, there was a pacing problem. It seemed to drag at times and I also agree with the Kirkus review that the structure of Brock's dreams felt repetitive. And, while we're on the subject of the lucid dreaming, it is an interesting premise, but it wasn't an entirely successful plot element for me, especially combined with Brock's less-than-believable character.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Thomas Nelson for review purposes.