Author: Kim

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1. Turtles All the Way Down

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Summary

Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

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My Review

After struggling through my last two books, I was ready for a book which I wanted to dive into and never return.  Reading had been hard, and I wanted to make it easy, effortless again.  For me, the middle grade/young adult genre almost always does that for me. 

I have been a long-time fan of John Green. While he is most likely known for A Fault in Our Stars, I personally preferred Looking for Alaska.  I had seen this book advertised on in the young adult section at Strand Bookstore on my recent trip to NYC; when I saw that it was available for immediate pickup at my local library, I went over that very day and claimed it. 

In short, I began and finished this book on the same day.  It captivated me the way I hoped.  The characters were real and believable; Aza is clearly struggling with her own personal issues, but that does not discredit her friends Davis and Daisy from their  equally real problems and daily struggles.  Through this Green paints an important picture that no one’s life is perfect. 

In the same way that Shu beautifully captured the difficulty of understanding an eating disorder in Louder than Hunger, Green walks the reader through the world of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

I would highly and readily recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of young adult.  And I just learned that it is also a movie, and I love to watch movies based on books because I love to remind myself how the book is always better than the movie.  Every time. 

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2. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

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Summary:

It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.

Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.

Whip-smart and utterly transportive, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is historical fiction of the highest order: an unforgettable coming-of-age story, a tender romance, and a portrait of a nation on the brink of change.

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My Review:

I chose this book because I had seen it on a stand in a local bookstore in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia while on vacation. It turns out that I had read another of Siminson’s books years ago, The Last Stand of Major Pettigrew. I don’t remember any of the details of that book, but I do remember enjoying it.

What I enjoyed most about the Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club was the time period in which it was set. Post World War I was a fascinating time globally, but especially England where the warfront was a much closer geographical reality than here in the States. Add in the complicating factor of gender, where the post-war story is told from the perspective of women, and you have a delicious plot. Similar to World War II and Rosie the Riveter, women in the 1920s were asked to fill in roles while the men went away to fight. They offered their employable skills and appreciated being part of the workforce. However, after the war, the men returned and all was expected to fall back to normal. But how can you go back when you’ve tasted freedom and experienced independence?

I found the historical gender rules of the day to be fascinating, especially in high society. Chaperones and propriety were the main concern of the day. But thrown in a few women wearing chaps, goggles and helmets, and you have the recipe for a perfect storm.

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This book was truly delightful from start to finish, and even if the story closed up a little more neatly than I personally prefer, sometimes in this life we all need a happy ending.

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3.  Our Last Days in Barcelona

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Summary

Barcelona, 1964. Exiled from Cuba after the revolution, Isabel Perez has learned to guard her heart and protect her family at all costs. After Isabel’s sister Beatriz disappears in Barcelona, Isabel goes to Spain in search of her. Joining forces with an unlikely ally thrusts Isabel into her sister’s dangerous world of espionage, but it’s an unearthed piece of family history that transforms Isabel’s life.

Barcelona, 1936. Alicia Perez arrives in Barcelona after a difficult voyage from Cuba, her marriage in jeopardy and her young daughter Isabel in tow. Violence brews in Spain, the country on the brink of civil war, the rise of fascism threatening the world. When Cubans journey to Spain to join the International Brigades, Alicia’s past comes back to haunt her as she is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once held her heart.

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My Review:

Our Last Days in Barcelona is the fifth book in a series of fiction books set in Cuba. My husband and I were fortunate enough to visit Cuba in the fall of 2016 before tensions once again arose between our two countries, all but shutting down the border for American tourists. Cuba is a beautiful and complicated country, and even in my short visit there of only a few days, I left part of my heart there. I read the first book, Next Year in Havana, and was immediately hooked on the plot which was largely historical fiction about Castro’s rise to power, the violence that tore the country, and the heartbreak between those who fled and those who stayed. The next books in the series have followed the same family, although they have greatly differed in topic and therefore my interest.

This novel was not my favorite in the series. I have owned it for some time but finally decided to read it as my family is traveling to Barcelona this summer. While there is a base of historical fiction in this novel–Cleeton always does her research–this one was a little too “beach read-y” for me. Lots of complicated romantic relationships, “longing” and whispers and glances and soft touches. And unfortunately the feminist in me cringes when a woman who is escaping a bad relationship and finally tastes her own freedom and independence simply lands in the arms of a new man.

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​If you enjoy a good romance and want to learn more about the Cuban-Spanish historical relationship, I would highly recommend this book.

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4.  It’s All or Nothing, Vale

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Summary

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale’s thing is fencing. She’s the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was . . . until the accident.

After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it’s much harder than before. Her body doesn’t move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can’t accept that.

But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn’t the only thing holding her back. If she can’t leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to?

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My Review:

As I have mentioned previously, my favorite genre is middle grade fiction. Recently, I had been introduced to novels in verse and have come to appreciate how other titles I recently read offer a full, worthwhile narrative tale in a concentrated amount of words.
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Unfortunately, It’s All or Nothing, Vale didn’t live up to the level of my previous middle grade verse novels. It just felt that Arango was working too hard to sell a heartbreaking tale, and I just never deeply connected with the main character. The plot felt to me too stereotypical with a character wanting to overcome an obstacle. Overall, I found I didn’t care much about the plot, the main character or what happened to her. It just all felt flat.​
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The novel did offer a fascinating look into the world of fencing, and it did provide the reader with a strong cultural angle. It is also a quick read, as many novels in verse can be.
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Overall, I simply cannot recommend this book, as I just believe there are too many other books and not enough time to read them all. If you’re interested in a novel written in verse, I would instead recommend Enemies in the Orchard by Dana VanderLugt or Louder than Hunger by John Schu.

I was traveling oversees with my family for two weeks during the month of June, which did not leave me much reading time. I’ll add what I read to my list next month, but for this newsletter, I’m giving you a highlight list of some of my favorite reads from a genre I created (I have yet to see it in a bookstore, although I would read every book in this section).

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FAVORITE READS WITH QUIRKY NARRATORS

I love a good quirky narrator, and I find I’m drawn to one who is probably on the Autism spectrum. I love how they see the world in black-and-white and how they dissect everyday social behaviors as if it were a science experiment. My first book I remember reading in this genre was Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The plot was quite serious, but I was enamored with Christopher John Francis Boone and how we only read the story through his perspective.

Below are my top 4 favorite fiction novels and 1 nonfiction memoir with Quirky Narrators. As I mentioned in my introduction, this is not an official genre as far as I know, but I would love to see a turnstile or a small bookshelf with more of these stories. The world needs more quirky narrators.

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1. The Rosie Project

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Summary

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.
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Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don’s Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

2. The Cactus

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Summary

Susan Green is like a cactus: you can’t get too close. She likes things perfectly ordered and predictable. No surprises. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the unexpected news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is realized. She is losing control.
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Enter Rob, the dubious but well-meaning friend of her indolent brother. As Susan’s due date draws near and her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan finds an unlikely ally in Rob. She might have a chance at finding real love and learning to love herself, if only she can figure out how to let go.

3. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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Summary

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than…. fine?

4. The Clementine Complex

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Summary

Unremarkable legal assistant Gary Thorn goes for a pint with his coworker Brendan, unaware his life is about to change. There, Gary meets a beautiful woman, but she leaves before he catches her name. All he has to remember her by is the title of the book she was reading: The Clementine Complex. And when Brendan goes missing, too, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Clementine to get some answers.
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And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to find some answers and hopefully, some love and excitement in this page-turning, witty, and oddly sweet story with a cast of unforgettable characters.

5. Look Me in the Eye

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Summary

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.
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After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck.

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It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.