Tag: book blog

The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides (Adventures of Kit Bristol #1) by Ben Tripp

The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides (Adventures of Kit Bristol #1) by Ben Tripp
accidentalhighwayman

This is the story of Kit, a half-fairy princess, a highwayman, a tightrope walker, a man who’s lost his memory and more.

The Accidental Highwayman is not a “swashbuckler.” I listened to the digital audiobook and didn’t see that description of this story until I came to its Goodread page. That’s a positive thing because I may have felt cheated otherwise.

Though it has a large cast of characters, the pace is quite slow. This is a book that can be savored but I see how it could just as easily be put aside.

I confess, I nearly gave it up when I went nearly four chapters in a row with nothing happening other than the wagon moving onwards. But, I stuck with it to the end.

The style of storytelling feels more like a Victorian era book rather than a modern fairytale. I believe this was a purposeful choice on the part of Ben Tripp- to give it a faux-classic feel.

I feel like The Princess Bride could be an apt comparison if you slowedBride‘s pacing way down and remove almost half of the adventure. The Accidental Highwayman has charm in my opinion, but not a lot of substance.

That being said, it contains one of the most over-the-top romantic lines I’ve ever heard in an audiobook: “If I don’t kiss you, I shall perish.”pg 269. If you like that kind of thing, you might enjoy this book very much. Think “slow burning wick” of a romance. Very slow. And not graphic but sweet.

Actually, The Accidental Highwayman was sort of like The Night Circus but with more goblins and less immersive descriptions. In that book, as in this, I felt like the story was reaching for more but never quite made it.

In conclusion, I recommend this book for readers with buckets of patience and a penchant for the fantastical and overly dramatic.

Thanks for reading!

A Triple Knot by Emma Campion

A Triple Knot by Emma Campion
a triple knot

I love historical fiction about the English monarchy and court. This time period, the 1300’s, is one that I wasn’t very familiar with, which was fine with me. I’m always up for learning something new while being entertained. Warning: there are some spoilers ahead if you aren’t familiar with English history.

This story centers around Joan of Kent. Joan’s father was executed by her grandmother’s lover when she was very young. She also didn’t trust her own family to provide for her or believe that they had her best interests at heart. After reading about the actions of some of her clan, I can’t really blame her for that.

Joan seemed ridiculously naive when she married, clandestinely, at the age of twelve for love. Then, when her family insisted on a more advantageous match, she was heart broken.

I was surprised at first about her behavior and reaction but then I imagined that the lack of training, guidance or protection that she received during her childhood was probably the reason that she believed she could marry whomever she wished. Royalty didn’t enjoy the freedom of marrying for love. Poor Joan.

The historical figures described in this tale, such as Edward III and his son, The Black Prince, were larger than life with tempers to match. I loved the descriptions of the clothing, the feasts, the dancing, building maintenance and other minutiae of daily life.

I didn’t love other aspects of this story. I felt like this book was too long and the second half was incredibly rushed. I think the author should have created a trilogy.

She could have ended book one at the decision of the Pope about Joan’s marriage status. (I won’t ruin that one for you.) Then, a second book could have followed about the birth of her first four children and family life. A third book could have chronicled her next marriage and what followed.

In this book, five years passed in approximately a page and a half, sometimes less. There could have been so much more to the story and I would have loved to have read it.

Fans of Philippa Gregory’s brand of historical fiction will probably eat this up with a spoon. Prepare yourself for some rushed passages though.

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks for reading!

Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Crystal King

Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Crystal King
feastofsorrow

A Feast of Sorrow captures the beauty, opulence and madness of Rome during the reign of the Caesars. The story is told from the point of view of a slave in the household of Apicius. But, not just any slave. Thrasius is a cook, a coquus, the head of Apicius’ kitchen. He makes some of the finest delicacies known and invents new ones.

Apicius is wealthy beyond reason. He has the ability to purchase Thrasius the finest ingredients and the rarest spices. Apicius’ dream is to become Caesar’s gastronomic adviser. But that position isn’t acquired by wealth alone. Political currency and power is the only way forward.

And the stage is set. Feast of Sorrow has heroes, villains and, of course, food. What a strange and weird feast it is. Honeyed dormice, flamingo tongues, and more- only the best for Apicius and his clients.

Thrasius begins writing a book to preserve his master’s recipes for all time. “I added your trick about using eggs to help make cloudy wind clear, instructions on how to preserve oysters, and even Fannia’s recipe for how to make wormwood liquor. I thought about how many cooks don’t have the right information or knowledge.” loc 1592. Interestingly enough, after the tale, Crystal King talks about how Apicius’ recipes are some of the oldest surviving examples of ancient cuisine.

“Stuff the dormice with pork forcemeat and also with all the flesh from all the parts of the dormouse, pounded with pepper, pine nuts, silphium, and liquamen. Sew them up and arrange them on a tile and put them into the oven or cook them, stuffed, in a covered pot.” -On Cookery, Apicius. Loc 4466, ebook. Mmmmmm.

King fills these pages not just with food, but also, to modern eyes, the strange and sometimes cruel practices of the Roman people. Did you know that Roman diners used to wipe their hands clean in the hair of their slaves? Did you know that Romans had special priests who read the flight of birds to determine if an event was going to be successful or not? Did you know that patricians, the nobility of Rome, were judged not only for their appearance and natural abilities but also how well they could throw a dinner party?

I enjoyed this book not only for the way that King told the story of the nameless people who made Apicius’ name known for all time but also for the twists and turns it contains. Feast of Sorrow will shock you, entertain you and, maybe, make you want to try a dormouse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Touchstone Publishing for a free digital advance reader copy of this book. Note: the brief quotations that I pulled from my copy may change in the final published version. Thanks for reading!

How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn

How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn

This book gave me so many “ah-ha” moments that after a hundred pages I started to feel like an idiot. Why did I assume that so many of these little “life after baby” marital frustrations had only ever happened to me?

How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids made me feel like I was part of a larger group called ‘mothers who try to do it all and feel secretly guilty that they can’t and wonder how everybody else does it.’ What a relief to know it wasn’t just me.

Photo by Andreas Wohlfahrt on Pexels.com

Dunn weaves her personal stories in with interviews from experts in fields as diverse as couples’ counseling to organizational gurus on a quest to save her sanity and her marriage from the hole that it had fallen into post-baby.

She is largely successful and gives plenty of tips that readers can incorporate immediately into their lives.

But, I was bothered by the, what I interpreted as, straight-up manipulation of her husband. Yes, Dunn is simply following expert advice, but reading about her self-satisfied crowing as she changes some of his more irritating behaviors felt disrespectful.

I mean, husband Tom is going to read this book.

I would feel devastated if my spouse wrote those sorts of things about me for millions of people to read and dissect. Granted, he was clued in that things were being recorded in a tell-all book, but still.

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“When I was six months pregnant with my daughter, I had lunch with a group of friends, all of whom were eager to pass along their hard-won scraps of parental wisdom. … ” … get ready to hate your husband,” said my friend Lauren. … Wrong, I told her calmly… But my friend Lauren was right.” locs 115-140 ebook.

We joke about how babies change lives but it’s not really funny, is it. It is a legit problem that marital happiness decreases because of less sleep, less money, less time, less sex… no need to go on.

Dunn begins her efforts to change her situation when she realizes that she’s reached a breaking point.

“Our daughter is now six, and Tom and I still have endless, draining fights. Why do I have the world’s tiniest fuse when it comes to the division of childcare and household labor? I am baffled that things have turned out this way.” loc 158.

In cringe-inducing honesty, Dunn admits to being verbally abusive to her spouse. My stomach actually churned when I read the sorts of things that she’d call him during fights.

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That part of the memoir made me very glad that she decided she didn’t want to live like that because I know that I wouldn’t have wanted that either.

I learned a lot about “maternal gatekeeping,” a pernicious practice where a mother discourages fathers from interacting with their children because of an internal belief that she knows better how to do EVERYTHING. And also, I learned about the importance of blocking time on weekends for personal rejuvenation and rest.

“And must we be compulsively busy every second of the day, briskly doing something “useful”? Nonstop activity can be addictive, but it’s a mistake, warns the University of Houston’s Brene Brown, a mom of two.” loc 1697.

Word. Everybody needs to chill out, calm down and unwind.

We also need to appreciate each other more.

At the end of the day and on the other side of all of the experts, Dunn comes to a dozen important realizations. One of which, appreciation, seems to be the magic bullet for most of her formerly-insurmountable marriage woes. It isn’t a new message but it is one that is worth repeating.

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Recommended for parents of all ages, How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids contains wisdom for just about every troublesome situation that one may find themselves in after children. Let’s hope the book can live up to its title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a free digital copy of this book. And thank you for reading!

Judge This by Chip Kidd

Judge This by Chip Kidd
judgethis

The beauty of TED talks books are that they’re done by experts in whatever field is being discussed. You, the reader, can trust that they know their stuff- I find it comforting. The books, based on the 18 minute presentations, are not so long so that you feel overwhelmed or bored. I find myself branching out and exploring topics that I wouldn’t normally be interested in because of their brevity. I’d never put too much thought into product design or labeling and Chip Kidd was just the guy to introduce it to me.

Take the billing on movie posters for example. I never knew that, by union contract, the names had to a certain size on the poster. Or, that there’s a clearer font that could be used for improving the clarity of the names so that they can be read from further away, but it’s never used. Who knew!

His dissection of the Diet Coke can and ad campaign was another of my favorite moments. Kidd comes off as funny as well as highly knowledgeable- one of the best combinations in my opinion.

The last, but not least, of my favorite moments was when we got to hear Kidd’s thoughts behind why and how he designed the covers for some really impressive titles like Fraud: Essays, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, or The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. Out of those three, Gulp drew my eye the most. When it first came into the library, I remember re-shelving it a couple of times, looking at its cover, and thinking “Wow, this is really different.” And not different in a bad way. It was different in a way that made me want to pick it up and add it to my mammoth to-read pile. And, apparently, that was exactly what Kidd was going for.

If you enjoy Judge This, I’d recommend Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead (Google reveals its elegant methods of internal organization) and The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere (another TED talks book but about meditation instead of art design).

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks for reading!

Get Me Skinny by Tony Arreola

Get Me Skinny by Tony Arreola

Why is Getting Skinny So Hard?

Or so, Aubrey thought. Healthy hopes habitually crumbled into misery. Empty promise after empty promise, the fitness industry routinely burned her. Destined for another failed attempt, a disillusioned Aubrey hears of the talented Mr. Skinny. He holds the secret to her success. He’s smart, fit, charming and…too busy for her. She needs to get in shape, she needs to find a man, and she needs to make this year, her year.

-Goodreads

I liked the way that this book was written. It seemed overly simplistic at first, but I think that’s just because I’ve conditioned myself to think that eating healthy and becoming/remaining fit is a difficult thing to do. Tony Arreola breaks it down and drums it into your head that taking care of yourself is something that everyone can do and you can start, RIGHT NOW.

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He clearly outlines the path to success with a narrative involving a girl named Aubrey who meets Tony and says “Get me skinny!”. She learns the proper way to eat, move, and retrain her inner voice for success- not just today but for the rest of her life.

If the reader didn’t pick it up through the story, Tony conveniently outlines all of the important points of his plan, coping mechanisms, exercise ideas, water/food intake information at the back of his book. That way, you don’t have to reread everything if you forget a point or two.

I wish that Tony had included more about his own personal background story and his motivation for getting into fitness. I feel that would be extra motivational for folks reading his book. A brief summary of it is included in “About the Author” in the back of the book and there is a short interlude in the story where Mr. Skinny talks about what drove him to a lifetime of health and fitness. More of that would be great. He has a lot of heart and the experiences that made him into what he is are really interesting.

Overall, this is an excellent resource for someone looking to make a major change in their life. I would recommend it for anyone who has tried and failed at diets, exercise programs, or just wants the motivation to do better. Tony/Mr. Skinny will take you to your goals and beyond.

Also recommended: This is Why You’re Sick and Tired by Jackie Warner or Making the Cut by Jillian Michaels.

I won a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks for reading!

The End of Self-Help: Discovering Peace and Happiness Right at the Heart of Your Messy, Scary, Brilliant Life by Gail Brenner

The End of Self-Help: Discovering Peace and Happiness Right at the Heart of Your Messy, Scary, Brilliant Life by Gail Brenner

Dr. Gail Brenner, from a completely Western point of view, presents a method of self realization that feels quite Eastern in its premise. To escape from troubling thoughts or life situations, go within and stay in awareness of your own consciousness.

From this new way of existence, external problems will either change or cease to exist in your new perspective of non-being. In fact, this book read a lot like Eckhart Tolle but was, I felt, a lot more understandable with some easy exercises thrown in.

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I think sometimes it helps to read the same type of material from different people because maybe something that they say will finally penetrate the fog in your mind. It can be a frustrating slog through buzz words and generalities. Or, perhaps, this author’s life experience is closer to yours and you are more able to figure out what the heck they’re saying- the finger pointing at the moon and all that.

I try to have an open and empathetic mind when I read self-help because you run into a lot of authors who want you to jump through the exact same hoops that they did even though your life experiences or difficulties aren’t the same. Yes, you may find some techniques that work for you but it’s never quite the extraordinary break through that they’re claiming.

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I run into the same messages again and again in self-help, but, I’m always thinking, maybe THIS time it’ll stick and I won’t have to try, yet another, author. Dr. Brenner has written a message that resonated with me even though it wasn’t the first time I’d run into it and it’s almost universally applicable in its technique.

She wrote this book so that, theoretically, the reader would never have to delve into self help again out of feelings of lack, loneliness, fear, etc. I’m certain that I will go there again, the self help shelf, out of a sense of curiosity which Dr. Brenner doesn’t discourage. She doesn’t ask readers to check out of their lives, but she wants to make sure that you’re going into self help for the right reasons.

This is a great read. If you like Eckhart Tolle, but he feels too far or you don’t dig his teachings about the “pain body”, The End of Self-Help might be just what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for more of this type of teaching, listen to the audio lecture, In the Presence of a Great Mystery by Eckhart Tolle or Resist Nothing: Guided Meditations to Heal the Pain-Body by Kim Eng.

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks for reading!

The Confessions of Young Nero (Nero #1) by Margaret George

The Confessions of Young Nero (Nero #1) by Margaret George

margaretgeorge**Warning: minor spoilers ahead unless you’re familiar with Roman history.**

Margaret George has done it again and produced yet another triumph of historical fiction. This one follows the much maligned Nero from his humble beginnings in a lower branch of the imperial family tree to the prize itself, Roman emperor. Then, it ends on an epic cliff hanger, but I forgive her because it is so awesome. If you can’t handle that kind of wait, you may want to hold off on reading this until the next installment is out.

All I knew about Nero (before this book) was that he “fiddled while Rome burned.” George combines the research of a scientist with the storytelling ability of a master writer to bring this man’s story to life. I have to admit- I actually felt sorry for the guy. Yes, despite the orgies, outlandish expenditures, palatial living, and god-like status, poor Nero, like all of us, just wanted to be loved. At least, so says Margaret George.

“It was hard to keep the family… straight. There was so much intermarrying that everyone seemed related to everyone else.” loc 219. Like British aristocracy, the upper echelons of Roman society were actually quite small and so everyone actually knew each other very well. Their children married, they frequently divorced and remarried each other, and excuses were made for the very close marriages. Nero’s mother, for instance, marries her uncle.  Abhorrent to modern eyes, perhaps, but like royalty from many different ages, somehow the rules were bent and it was allowed.

From his very earliest days, Nero watches others scheme, poison, and claw their way towards power. It really messes him up. “It was my first, and most brutal, lesson in what lengths to which evil people will go, and for what flimsy reasons. I have never forgotten it, nor let down my guard since. Let them call me cruel. Better that than dead.” loc 544, ebook. Just to put it into perspective, Nero’s uncle, the Emperor Caligula, once declared war on the god, Poseidon, and had his soldiers run into the ocean and stab the waves with their swords- totally bonkers. George suggests throughout the story that Nero is not only trying to outshine his relatives because of natural ambition, but also because he believes there is a curse in his blood. With an extended family like that, I can see his point.

George also does a good job bringing Rome and her curious attitudes about everyone not Roman to life. Nero is fond of the Greeks- their music, poetry, and athleticism. But, to the Romans, that sort of cultural appreciation is unmanly and unnatural. I think it was just an extension of the very human attitude of “us vs them” but Romans took it very badly when Nero wanted to perform music in public (gasp), wear a tunic rather than a toga (double gasp), and race a chariot in the Coliseum (passes out on the floor). These things were not done but Nero insisted on doing them. Compared to the things that celebrities get away with today, those behavioral peculiarities seem so tame.

“I learned to live with the knowledge I had; people can get used to anything, even horror, and it begins to feel normal. And the thought that I had inherited the blood of murderers seemed less threatening than that my mother… might kill me. Thus we make peace with ourselves and our weaknesses, for there is always someone worse to focus on.” loc 1732, ebook. Poor, poor Nero. Can you imagine being afraid that you’d die at the hand of your mother? It really makes one feel like her anxieties are rather trivial. Stressed about a dirty house? Yeah, Nero’s mom might kill him today or tomorrow or the next time he’s not paying attention. Get over it!

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, ancient Rome, or people who want to get lost in a story. Margaret George is amazing. I own four of her books and, when this is published, I just may have to pick it up too. Coming from a (former) librarian, this is really one of the highest compliments I can give to an author. Do yourself a favor, if you like this genre and haven’t tried her yet, pick up Margaret George.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a free advance reader copy of this book.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This was the description from Goodreads:

“Audrey Niffenegger’s dazzling debut is the story of Clare, a beautiful, strong-minded art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: his genetic clock randomly resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future.”

Goodreads
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Unpopular opinion time: I found the story to be quite different from that and have to say a big no thank you to The Time Traveler’s Wife.

To the legions of fans of this book, I’d like to know what you enjoyed about it. What did I miss? I see that it’s won a pile of awards and I just don’t get it.

I thought I was in for a sweet romance but all I got was a time traveler who cheated at the lottery, beat people up for clothes, and engaged in sexual hijinks with time traveling versions of himself.

I was completely creeped out by the fact that Henry is Clare’s best friend from the time that she was 6. She was groomed from that young age to be his wife, no matter that it wasn’t consummated until later. How awful is that.

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When she is essentially date raped, she doesn’t go to the police, Clare goes to Henry who engages in some vigilante justice. It was horrible what happened to her, but she should have reported it to the authorities.

The yuck factor from a bunch of places absolutely ruined the book for me not to mention that fact that Clare never really had a childhood or life at all without Henry in it. That’s not romantic, it’s sad.

Anyway, my apologies if you loved it. Like I said, I am willing to consider other opinions on this book, I just really can’t recommend it.

Thanks for reading.