Sunday, January 30, 2022

Mini Book Reviews: January 2022

 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Bright Side Running Club in exchange for my honest review.

Didn't January feel like the longest month ever? Reading-wise, I finished 6 books: a couple newish releases, some backlist reads, and a NetGalley ARC. Once again, Reese's book club selection was disappointing. So was Liane Moriarity's new one. No DNFs though, and that's a good thing. 





What Could Be Saved
is an epic family story. It's a long one but worth savoring. An American family, living in Thailand in the 1970s for the father's government job, builds a life with other expatriate families. It all seems idyllic, with the tropical setting, a swimming pool in the yard, and servants to take care of everything. But we all know that life is complicated and things start to unravel. The narrative alternates between the past and the present, which helped put the pieces of the puzzle together. The writing is just exquisite, the words just flowing. I absolutely loved this book. Highly recommended. 





After accidentally returning this ebook to the library in December, it once again became available for me to read. This saga about a tennis family in the 70s and now could have been so much better. I normally love Liane Moriarity's quirky prose, but this time it grated on my nerves. The story just spun its wheels for the first 2/3 of the book. Once the mother disappeared, things started moving and I was able to turn the pages quickly. The ending, or at least what I thought was the ending, tied it all up. Then there were a few chapters that included the pandemic--those felt like an afterthought. Overall, Apples Never Fall was a big disappointment. 





I flew through this gripping story about a father and daughter living off the grid in a cabin in the woods. For eight years, they've lived in almost complete isolation, save for a nosy neighbor and a friend who would visit yearly with a delivery of supplies. When the daughter discovers a young woman wandering around the woods, she starts to push back against the isolation her father has made for them. Things escalate from there, culminating in a surprising ending. Ultimately, this is an amazing story about love and doing the right thing. The writing is beautiful and I could have read These Silent Woods in one sitting. 




Lucky
is the story of a young woman, raised by her father to be a grifter. The main premise of the story is the winning lottery ticket that she holds but is unable to cash because she's a wanted fugitive. Her 'skills' help her evade capture, as she scams and steals her way across the country. There are lots of twists and turns and surprises, which kept me turning the pages. It was a quick read, but I was a little disappointed. The main character made some decisions that seemed naive for someone so skilled at the grift. The ending felt rushed, with all the loose ends tied up a little too neatly. 



I'm always on the lookout for good running fiction and The Bright Side Running Club was an intriguing selection. The main character, a married mom and shop owner, is diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine physical. To cope with the stress of the treatment and life in general, she takes up running and ends up meeting several other women who are also battling cancer. The group becomes a lifeline as the women also deal with not only their illness but life struggles. The author drew on her own experience as a cancer patient as background for the story. I found the writing to be crisp and engaging and the medical information to be very accurate, but not dramatic. I really liked that this was more about the women and their lives; cancer was merely a commonality that brought them together.  To be released February 8.


I always like to throw in a fun, mindless kind of book and The Unhoneymooners checked off all the boxes. A smartly written romantic comedy, I was hooked from page one! When the main character's sister's wedding goes awry, she and the best man take the newlyweds' honeymoon trip. The problem is that they can't stand each other. This situation results in some really funny laugh-out-loud moments as they attempt to convince everyone that they are in love. I think you know how this all turns out but it's the journey, not the destination, am I right? I really liked this one and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Sometimes, you just have go for the guilty pleasure!


This week, the Tennesse legislature banned Maus, a graphic (illustrated) novel about the Holocaust, citing profanity and nudity. Personally, I think kids see worse on the internet and that there's a more troubling motive behind this. Book banning is on the rise in our country and the books being banned all have cultural and/or historical significance. Winston Churchill once said: those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it." It's a slippery slope. This avid reader encourages you to open your mind and read a banned book to decide for yourself if it's objectionable. 


Have you read any good books lately? Did you read any of the books I've listed here? Have you read Maus? My boys read it in middle school. I think a graphic novel is great way to get kids to read, especially on such an important subject.

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.








29 comments :

  1. Thanks for the reviews! Some definitely sound intriguing.

    I have often likened T to H. I really don't even think that's hyperbole. It's very troubling the things that are still going on in this country.

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    1. Judy, Those of us who thought as you do a few years ago were said to be overreacting. Not so much. :(

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  2. As always, cogent and thoughtful reviews. Always you feature something to add to my voluminous TBR list.
    The book banning going on right now is terrifying. One more thing to add to the list of present day horror. Great poster. I've seen it in a few places. I hope that it spreads. I saw one bookstore that featured a table filled with banned books. Good. Also, "Maus" is selling rapidly since the Texas story broke.

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    1. I just find it amazing that my sons read Maus 10 years ago without any fuss or fanfare.

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  3. Nice variety! The Unhoneymooners sounds especially funny. I love those kinds of quick reads that keep me entertained ;-)

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    1. The Unhoneymooners got an unprecedented 5 stars from me on Goodreads! I usually save that for those literary type books. But this was exceptionally good.

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  4. I was so disappointed with Moriarty's latest esp with it's tennis focus. UGH!!!

    I LOVED In five years. I hope her first novel is as good.

    Thanks for he reviews. I often go to the library with your list in hand. LOL

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  5. You do write great reviews, Wendy! I like that you also identify a book's weakness.
    I'll look out for the Bright Side Running Club! Thank you for the recommendation!

    Banning a book is the best advertisement for it. I have never read "Maus", but I have seen the illustrations.
    Yes, it's graphic, but a) it's based on history and b) the kids are exposed to much worse things on the internet.

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    1. When I use the term graphic in relation to Maus, I'm using the word to mean that it's illustrated. In the US we have a lot of 'graphic' aka illustrated novels. It's a genre. But yeah, I suppose Maus is graphic, lol

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  6. Thanks for the review, it's always useful to expand the list of interesting books to read.

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  7. I had the Moriarty book from the library a couple months ago but ended up returning it unread (can't remember why.) I usually like her, but it sounds like I didn't miss anything this time. A couple of your other books sound intriguing though!
    The banning of Maus is ridiculous and disturbing, and hopefully the outcome will be that every teenager reads it. Thanks as always for this post- I love book reviews!

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  8. Apples never fall was not as good as I expected either and I agree, the second half was better. The Brightside running club sounds good too. Thanks for the reviews

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    1. Bright Side Running Club was much better than I expected! Good read.

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  9. Thanks for sharing these! This year has been a slow start to reading for me. I'm reading a running book right now which takes me a little longer to get through, but after that I'll need to check some of these out!

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    1. That's one of the reasons I stopped doing a monthly running book; also there just aren't a lot of good ones to review right now.

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  10. I've been very disturbed by all of the bans on books happening recently. There is definitely a more sinister underlying reason for this. Kids need to know about history so that horrible things do not get repeated. Scary times we're living in.

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  11. The one in the woods and the honeymooners one look good - I'm always up for a light, fun read as well as the heavier stuff! I've read some great books in January, I think Cat Jarman's The River Kings was the stand-out for me but Wahala by Nikki May was excellent, too.

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    1. I've got Wahala on my TBR. I agree with you, we need those light fun reads. It's nice to find one that is really well written too!

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    2. Ooh, I'll look forward to your thoughts on Wahala!

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  12. Thanks once again for more books to add to my ever growing list.
    Banning books makes me so angry. Like you said there is worse stuff on the internet (or TV). We already have a generation of entitled child-adults who have no coping skills because they never learned how to lose. Why do some people feel the need to “protect” children from history? Good f%&#ing Grief!
    Winston Churchill had it right.

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    1. I'm not sure if they want to protect kids from history or if they are pretending it didn't happen. It's the same people that are denying Covid is real, so there's that...

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  13. I love your book reviews. My sisters and I had a book club with my mom that sort of fizzled, but we need something to keep her going during her recovery, so we want to start it back up! I think she'd like the Bright Side Running Club!

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    1. My sisters and my mom talked about doing a book club too, but we haven't done it. Sounds like a fun idea!

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  14. Great review! I always look forward to your post! Sadly I will confess that I am still trying to read books that you reviewed MONTHS ago. Ugh, I told myself I need to stop watching so much TV and read. Right now I watch a show with my mom and "Chicago Med" on other days. Anyway, I added these books to my list which is like a mile long. I don't understand the banning of books. These politicians really have nothing better to do.

    Thank you for linking up with us!

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    1. Oh Zenaida, I have so much to say about that but I'll zip my lips...

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