It’s time again to talk about what books we’re most looking forward to in the next three months! Tamara at Travelling with T and I are back with some more new releases we can’t wait for. If you’re looking for something great to read, these are books we think will deliver. Many are by authors who are favorites and others simply sound to good to pass up. Read more »
Title: The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy 
Summary: Not the most engagingly written book, but it’s still a story worth reading
This story of Flint’s water crisis, from a journalist who covered the story as it unfolded, is a fascinating read. It includes a number of topics that are relevant for many cities. The continued use of led pipes throughout the country is the obvious takeaway, but we also see the lasting effects of legal and then social segregation that lased long after the civil war. The way poverty influenced who was hardest hit by this crisis, as well as the options available to people for dealing with it, was somehow both unsurprising and shocking. And the whole thing was a terrifying reminder that if government officials aren’t forced by required transparency to act in our best interests, any of us could find ourselves in the next Flint. Read more »
Title: When the Men Were Gone: A Novel 
Summary: The author wrote football plays clearly and managed to convey her passion for the sport, but the writing was simplistic and the story lacked depth.
Assistant principal Tylene Wilson grew up loving football. During WWII, she came to believe the sport made it more likely young men would stay in school instead of enlisting early. With so many men away fighting, however, it looked like the season would be cancelled for her high school team. Instead, Tylene stepped up and volunteered to coach, knowing the sexism she’d face for doing so. This is a fictionalized version of her true story. Read more »
Nonfiction Friday is a link-up where you can find all of the awesome nonfiction happenings of the week. As a reminder, if you’re participating in the Nonfiction Reading Challenge, you’ll get a giveaway entry for each nonfiction review you link-up below!
Read more »
I am so excited to tell you all that Nonfiction November is coming soon! This year, I’ll be helping to host, along with Kim of Sophisticated Dorkiness, Rennie of What’s Nonfiction, Julz of JulzReads, and Sarah of Sarah’s Bookshelves. As in previous years, we’ll be posting a discussion question and link-up on the Monday of each week. You’ll see some returning topics and some new ones in our schedule below: Read more »
I have to say, it’s been a fantastic month for reading! I had two trips, one for work and one for fun, that gave me lots of on-the-plane reading time. I also had a ton of fun reading four books about collectors so obsessive that they steal the thing with which they’re obsessed (reviews here). It’s certainly not a topic I would have intentionally thought to focus on, but a number of books on my TBR fit that sub-genre and it turns out that it is a topic I really enjoy. I’m also looking forward to an exciting announcement tomorrow about a recurring event and I can’t wait for Dewey’s Read-a-thon, so I’m hoping the next few months will be just as much fun. Read more »
I know those of you who haven’t yet read Malagash might not get as much out of these detailed posts, but I do hope that my love for this novel has piqued your interest! Regardless, I think these discussion questions will conclude my deep dive into Malagash. As we start a new month tomorrow, I’m planning on picking another book to spend some time with. First though, I’d like to share this set of discussion questions that I’d suggest for any book club tackling Malagash. Read more »
Title: The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
The writing in this one was a mixed bag for me. It was generally descriptive and engaging, but the author had some habits that drove me crazy. These included run-on sentences and the reuse words in ways I found nonsensical (‘the light was hot and the air was airless’, for example – what does it mean for the air to be airless?!). In terms of the topics covered, there were a lot of high points. Some of my favorites were: a section on orchid biology and why people love them; a description of an orchid society party and a listing of other plant events; a series of police blotter entries related to plant thefts in Florida; and a fantastic list of the crazy ways people have tried to smuggle live animals into Florida. I also enjoyed the commentary on why people obsess over orchids. This wasn’t a perfect book – the writing was hit or miss and some parts dragged – but the sections on the topics I highlighted made for some really fun reading. Read more »
Nonfiction Friday is a link-up where you can find all of the awesome nonfiction happenings of the week. As a reminder, if you’re participating in the Nonfiction Reading Challenge, you’ll get a giveaway entry for each nonfiction review you link-up below!
Read more »
Title: The Dinner List
Summary: Fun but lacked substance. The emotions felt unearned.
Many of us have answered the ice breaker question of which people, living or dead, we’d like to have dinner with. This is the story of a woman who gets to have that dinner. Sabrina’s list includes her best friend, an ex, a professor, her father, and Audrey Hepburn. Together, they will help her come to terms with her past. Read more »
