Some Book Recommendations — bigwords101

So, here is what I have read since I last did a book post, according to Goodreads, where I keep track of my reading (since otherwise, I might not know what I have read, and I might read it again by mistake!)

Our Time Is Now by Stacey Abrams – I read this one really quickly, skimming through much of it, because I had to read it for a book club about banned books. I had not left enough time to read it. The club is based in California and I am in Florida, so the club meets online at 10 p.m. my time. A little late for me. It was on my calendar, and I knew about the meeting all day. Then, at 11:30 p.m. as I was sitting in bed, I realized I had completely forgotten the meeting. So I never did find out why this book is banned and where. In any case, I thought it was a very good read. You may not like it if you are on the political right. Much of it is about voter suppression and our fight for democracy and fair elections, and I found it pretty scary. I recommend it. Four out of five stars

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman – This one was recommended by someone who sent me a message about it. I don’t remember who it was, but I trusted their judgment. I didn’t love it, but I did get through it. It is about two college roommates who decide to backpack over the world after they graduate in 1986. They begin in the People’s Republic of China. From culture shock to government surveillance, they find they are in way over their heads. Partly comedic and partly thriller, it received three of five stars from me.

A Girl from Lynn by Evelyn Elwell – I went to high school with Evelyn. She has written a great book that is of course interesting to those who are from Lynn, Massachusetts, about 12 miles north of Boston. Lynn was the home of the shoe industry, which my maternal grandfather was a part of. The book is about a 16- year-old girl who lives in Lynn in the 1850s. She wants to attend college and become a teacher, but life has other plans. She is sidetracked by a family accident, the fight for labor unions, and the Civil War. This book is a great read. I gave it five stars.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore – Another outstanding read! This book was recommended by a friend who was reading it for her book club. It takes place in the 1930s with young girls who were “lucky” enough to get jobs painting watch dials with radium, the new craze that was supposed to have great medical properties and be completely safe. The girls actually glowed with radium power all over them, and they used their mouths to make the brush points nice and thin. These girls started to develop a variety of odd symptoms, yet the companies denied any issues with the radium. Eventually, the girls went to court and were finally listened to. Although many of the girls lost their lives, they did eventually win the fight. Five out of five stars.

More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova – If you have not read Lisa Genova, you should. She writes novels that deal with mental health issues, such as dementia, and in this book, bipolar disorder. It is about a young woman who is finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder and wants to be a stand-up comic, against the traditional advice of her parents. The book is about her ups and downs with and without medication and how she deals with her diagnosis in her own way. Four out of five stars.

Manifest: Seven Steps to Living Your Best Life by Roxy Nafousi – Well you know how much I am fascinated with manifestation. This book is rated one of the best. Nafousi is called the Queen of Manifesting, but so are a lot of other people! I thought the book was fairly good, especially for someone unfamiliar with manifesting. It has tons of reviews on Amazon and is rated 4.7 there. I gave it three stars of five.

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood – This seemed like my kind of book from the title. It is a novel and is highly reviewed on Amazon with lots of reviews. It is about a young women recently released from prison after killing a woman while she was driving drunk, an older librarian who runs the prison book club, and the husband of the woman who was killed by the drunk driver. They come together one day at a bookstore, and their lives begin to intersect. I thought it was just OK, and gave it three stars of five.

Liberation Day by George Saunders – This is a book of short stories. I very rarely read short stories because I don’t really like them. However, I wanted to read something else by this author, who wrote Lincoln in the Bardo, which is a very weird book. I gave the book three out of five stars, but Amazon reviews were much better. He is compared with Kurt Vonnegut, but I loved reading Vonnegut. Frankly, I cannot remember any of these stories at all. But you might like it if you like short stories. He is an author of high regard. Just not mine.