Book Nook Cafe discussion

What books did you start the new decade with ?

Here is the Folder to tell us what your monthly reads for May 2020 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

The Two Mrs. Carlyles

1906, San Francisco before the earthquake. Violet grows up in orphanage, where she becomes close friends with Cora and Flossie. When the orphanage catches fire, the girls run away. Violet is not quite fourteen and the other two girls sixteen. They find a boardinghouse, where the two older girls work as dancers and Violet as a maid. They fail to notice the red signs in the district.
4/5 The historical background is non-existent. This fictional story is simply set around the famous earthquake, but it doesn’t bring the atmosphere of the effects after the earthquake.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Miss Benson's Beetle

5/5 Margery Benson, fictional character, represents a ground-breaking woman who sets on a journey across the world to find an elusive golden beetle of New Caledonia. With her assistant, polar opposite, they also break grounds in getting to know each other and creating an endearing friendship. Written with phenomenal humor.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Art of Deception

London, 1912. Sherlock Holmes’ daughter Joanna and Dr. Watson and his son are investigating a new case of a man breaking into art galleries and private homes to slash paintings. In a hasty escape, the suspect loses his scarf at a gallery and this gives a lead for investigators.
3/5 Lack of character development.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Socialism 101: From the Bolsheviks and Karl Marx to Universal Healthcare and the Democratic Socialists, Everything You Need to Know about Socialism

5/5 In clear, simple language, this book explains the origins of socialism, how it’s changed over the years, and what it means today. The chapters are short, giving informative history to the point; clearly laying progression of different countries and their thinkers/philosophers forging proposals for socialism, and later leading to more progressive actions with working class.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The London Restoration

5/5 The London Restoration – one might imagine it entails restoration of London after a devastation of war. Or maybe it’s about restoration of love in London. One young couple gets married at the beginning of the war, then pushed away due to war, and now after the war trying to restore the love bond damaged by war. A beautiful love story.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nemesis and the Swan

5/5 This book is a phenomenal pick for YA, introducing them to both the French Revolution, inspired by the American Revolution, and also to a young heroine born into privilege, torn by the revolution and inspired by women voicing their opinions and putting words into action.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Forgotten Home Child

5/5 Between 1869 and 1948, “100,000 to 130,000 destitute British children between the ages of three and eighteen were taken from England’s streets, orphanages, and homes, and then shipped across the ocean to work in other countries, where it was thought they’d have a chance to lead better lives.” Unfortunately, “there were few to no checks and balances in place.” Some children did benefit, however, most did not.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook

5/5 Set in post-war Germany, this atmospheric story vividly explores the time period and involves a rush, time is precious, to uncover a network of spies and war criminals. And this involves a young British woman who fits a profile of being single, ordinary looking and with a college degree in German – a perfect material for a spy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Lost Jewels

5/5 Based on “the true story of the Cheapside Hoard, dug up in a Cheapside cellar in 1912, (…) it is one of the most famous caches of jewels in the world, it is also the most mysterious. How could someone neglect to retrieve five hundred precious pieces of jewelry and gemstones?” This story is an imagined tale woven between the facts.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Annette, you've had a stupendous month!
I've added a number of these books to my TBR list. You've introduced me to a number of new titles and all sound so interesting. Thank you!

Annette wrote: 5/5 Margery Benson, fictional character, represents a ground-breaking woman who sets on a journey across the world to find an elusive golden beetle of New Caledonia. With her assistant, polar opposite, they also break grounds in getting to know each other and creating an endearing friendship. Written with phenomenal humor.."

Wow ! You had an excellent reading month, Annette. Thank you for sharing.

Miss Benson's Beetle is also the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which I enjoyed.

I see that Miss Benson's Beetle isn't being released until November, so I'll have to put it in my TBR notebook.

Three books worth mentioning from May for me...


A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. Technically, a reread though I recalled nothing of the first time. Billed as second in a trilogy, I felt it read fine as a standalone story. There is an element of magical realism to it, but largely driven by a series of unusual, improbable events. Much is set on Hokkaido, both at a specific hotel in Sapporo, and later in a bleak rural area. Three stars from me for the experience. Adding that I started the next book Dance Dance Dance, but gave up partway through as it was slow moving, with secondary characters I didn't care for; also a reread, with my review mentioning I wasn't thrilled with it then either particularly.


How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman, who has spent many years as a full-time Tudor. She goes through various areas of life: education, amusement, clothing, farming, etc. Audio narrator did a good job bringing the text to life. Print might be better for skimming through sections that interest a reader less. Three stars, though having a specific interest in the period would be a definite plus.


Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. In this case "excellent" takes on the meaning of virtuous or self-denying. Story of the women, mostly single, who traditionally kept the parish running through volunteer activities. Main character is one such woman who comes to question whether that's really her "destiny" being only in her 30s. We see her evolve through contact with new neighbors from a more cosmopolitan... shall we say, experience. Audio narration extremely well done, highlighting her witty observations. Five stars (four for story but extra for narrator).

Annette, what a great month of reading, as well as good reviews. I particularly like you first review because i agree, historical fiction could use further categorization. Like you, i'm usually there for the history but like how a story will be moved along by the characters. When that fails, one wonders why it was set at that particular time & place. Would it have worked after other disasters, time periods, etc.

The Rachel Joyce sounds very good. I like reading adventures about women fording toward scientific studies. In the same way i was drawn to the Rachel McMillan for its relic and code breaking. But the one i'm adding to my list sounded so unique, the Celia Rees novel about spies! The Cookbook caught my eye but i'll read it for the rest of it.

Kathleen Sears seems to write well about the facts of topics such as socialism. It's a great way to explore historic ideas if you want to flesh out the path to what we know today. This would be a great resource, imo. And thanks for the tip on the book with Sicily, The Florios of Sicily by Stefania Auci.

You write so well about the unfolding of the various historical fiction stories, i feel i can tell whether i'd like the book or not. As you note, sometimes the dual (or more!) storylines can be exhausting to keep in mind but sometimes, they are the joy of the story, too. Thanks, Annette.

I had a mixed month of reading:

U.S.A.: The 42nd Parallel / 1919 / The Big Money (3 star) - I started this trilogy back in January. I enjoyed it for what it was: a thin slice of American life during a thin slice of Time. The characters did seem to go through their lives without learning any life lessons and they didn't seem to understand that most of the bad luck that occurred was caused by their own poor choices. Interesting writing. Dos Passos did a good job in keeping the reader's interest.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Promise, The Girl from Oto, Mira's Way and A Place in the World (2-star, 4-star, 3-star, 3-star) - a prequel and a trilogy following a young Art professional in 2015 and the artist she is trying to research/discover and bring to the public's eye (1505). I enjoyed the story in the past (Mira's) but did not like the story of the present time (Zari's).
Zari's actions were all over the place and not in line with any reasoning except to keep the story going and add a romance.
Also, the last book of the trilogy dragged a lot. Action was extremely slow.
Reviews (in order):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (audio; 5-star) - I really enjoyed this. It blended botany, myths & legends, serenity, community, connectiveness and so much more. It was well narrated by the author and felt very calming and serene.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sisters (graphic novel; 5-star) - although meant for a younger audience (10-12, I'd say), this author's graphic novels always leave me with a smile. She nails family life and the unity of family. In this book, she explores the relationship of Sisters.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Eyre Affair (audio; 3-star) - I read this book many years ago. Before continuing with the series, I thought I would reread it to catch the details. I loved the wordplay and weirdness of the story. I'm glad I listened to this as the narration added to the fun.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

John, i could probably learn plenty from rereading Haruki Murakami middle book, too. I was in awe of the writing and circumstances as much as anything else. I like reading your thoughts on Dance, etc., and suspect i would feel similarly.

I wasn't aware of the "How To Live..." series but really like the idea. Clever idea for a series. As my husband is enamored with the Tudor years, i think i must get it for him...if i can stand being called "wench" again & again, that is.

Have you read any Elizabeth Taylor novels? I think Pym wrote a generation apart from Taylor but their names are often linked in lit of the 20th century. My favorite Taylor is Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. I've not read any Pym but now must. Thanks for the motivation.

Alias Reader wrote: "Miss Benson's Beetle is also the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which I enjoyed. ..."

Oh, i didn't realize that. I enjoy Fry, so would probably like this one very much. Thanks for the info, Alias.

madrano wrote: "John, i could probably learn plenty from rereading Haruki Murakami middle book, too. I was in awe of the writing and circumstances as much as anything else. I like reading your though..."

I would strongly suggest starting Pym with Excellent Women. I read Crampton Hodnet a few months back, which was fine, but this is a stronger book.

I have read a couple of Elizabeth Taylor's books, though not Mrs. Palfrey (movie has been on my video list for a while): The Death of the Heart and A Game of Hide and Seek.

May already?! Here's what i've read the last 31 days.

Cotton Comes to Harlem is a book i've had on my TBR for decades. I thought it was from the 1930s but this Chester Himes work is actually set in the '60s, so i was surprised by the violence and characters, but it worked well. I can see why the two police officers were part of a series, of which this was the 7th.

Candacy A. Taylor wrote a good book on the development of what she called the Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America. It's a sort of biography of the Green Book, which was a list of hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other places which would welcome African American travelers from the late '30s to 1966, it's last issue. She has many illustrations of the issues, as well as a biography of its founder, NYC post office employee Victor Green and his wife Alma. It is also a sort of education in modern day black American middle class. I liked this one.

Elizabeth Is Missing is the novel which had me confused as i read, partly because author Emma Healey wrote well about an old woman whose memory failed her quite often. It's told from two time periods, which played well into the story.


Jade Dragon Mountain is the first in a series of mysteries set in the 1700s, written by Elsa Hart. Her "detective", Li Du was once a librarian in the capital but has been banished for the last three. He enters an area where the Emperor is going to "make" an eclipse. Science, libraries, missionaries are all part of the story. As much as i enjoyed the story, i do not intend to read further in the series.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold is about a Chinese woman brought to the western US to work on the railroad and the family she created. Primarily it's about two children who travel the gold-filled hills. C Pam Zhang tells a nice story with a theme of what is home?

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is about January, a young girl whose father's travels take him around the world. She lives with his employer, who is a fabulously wealthy man. Alix E. Harrow has created an science fiction novel with a strong female lead in January.

Confessions begins with a teacher addressing her middle school class on the last day of the term. She accuses two students of a henious crime and the rest of the book is chapters telling what happens to those two students, the class, and the families. Kanae Minato has crafted a curious book, which at times baffled me as a westerner. Regardless, she addresses a number of good points, including holding young offenders responsible for their actions.

I read Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins after seeing the movie based on it last month. The story is of Gilly, a child in foster care but who occasionally receives postcards from her mom. The story is of the latest foster home in which she's placed, featuring a loving southern old woman and a possibly damaged young boy. I really liked this and realized Paterson is a woman whose works my own daughter liked as a child, including Bridge to Terabithia.

The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family is Bettye Kearse's story of becoming her family's griotte, storyteller, when her mother delivered a box of family documents & lore. Kearse, a Boston pediatrician, spent over 25 years researching as full a story as she could about her ancestors, both in Africa and the US. The family's African story can only be traced to a woman called Mandy, who was bought by future President James Madison's grandfather. From there the family traces slaves who were impregnated by Madison men, including the man who is called "the Father of the Constitution".

Their credo—“Always remember—you’re a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president” was invoked when the family faced slavery, prejudice, and backslides. As a result they have a rich history of educators and people of medicine. It's a remarkable story and it appears that those running Madison's historic home, Montpelier, have helped her all along the way. This speaks volumes. It's an easy to read book with a good story.

Looked into Chester Himes' books a while ago, but passed on them regarding thd violence at the time, will reconsider.

The audiobook of Elizabeth Is Missing was excellent. Looking forward to watching the video starring Glenda Jackson.

Finished and enjoyed What Lies Between Us

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3342008469

John, i think my favorite part of the novel was the title. It was clever. There was something which disturbed me that i found surprising. I'll "cloak" it lest someone else rather not know. It has to do with profanity. (view spoiler)[Rather than have characters use the now-common term "mother f***er" the characters say"mother raping". Why should that be more jarring than the former? I cannot tell you, other than frequency has dulled our minds. (hide spoiler)]

Dem, it does sound like a perfect summer book, begging to be read.

I read an interesting mix in May.

'Salem's Lot - Stephen King classic vampire story. Thought it was pretty good; I've been interested in this book ever since the town made an appearance in a King short story I read a while back.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - re-read from elementary school. Got a lot more out of it this time around; was able to recognize some of the more problematic elements of the book.

The Gunslinger - I've been wanting to start the Dark Tower series. This was an easy read. Not too impressed with it, but hopefully the next few books will be more interesting.

Horrorstör - fun concept; horror story set inside an IKEA-like store. Book was just OK.

We Ride Upon Sticks - started this one in May, just finished today. Great, fun book set in the 1980s about a field hockey team that turns to witchcraft to win.

My May reads
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Rating 4/5
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
rating : 5/5
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
Rating: 4/5
Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe
Rating 3/5
Death Before Wicket byKerry Greenwood
Rating 4/5

John wrote:
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. In this case "excellent" takes on the meaning of virtuous or self-denying. Story of the women, mostly single, who traditionally kept the parish running through volunteer activities. Main character is one such woman who comes to question whether that's really her "destiny" being only in her 30s. We see her evolve through contact with new neighbors from a more cosmopolitan... shall we say, experience. Audio narration extremely well done, highlighting her witty observations. Five stars (four for story but extra for narrator)."

I'll have to check this one out further. I am always looking for a good audio book for my exercise walks. Thanks !

Petra wrote: "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (audio; 5-star) - I really enjoyed this. It blended botany, myths & legends, serenity, community, connectiveness and so much more. It was well narrated by the author and felt very calming and serene...."

Calming and serene... that is exactly what I need !

madrano wrote: Cotton Comes to Harlem is a book i've had on my TBR for decades. I thought it was from the 1930s but this Chester Himes work is actually set in the '60s, so i was surprised by the violence and characters, but it worked well. I can see why the two police officers were part of a series, of which this was the 7th.."

Deb, did you ever see the movie? I didn't but recall the title so it must have been popular.


Wiki
Cotton Comes to Harlem is a 1970 American neo-noir action comedy film co-written and directed by Ossie Davis and starring Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, and Redd Foxx. The film is based on Chester Himes' novel of the same name. The opening theme, "Ain't Now But It's Gonna Be" was written by Ossie Davis and performed by Melba Moore. It was followed two years later by the sequel Come Back, Charleston Blue.

Jennifer wrote: "I read an interesting mix in May.

'Salem's Lot - Stephen King classic vampire story. Thought it was pretty good; I've been interested in this book ever since the town made an appearan..."

My favorite King novel is, The Stand

Meredith wrote: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
rating : 5/5."

Happy to see the 5 star rating as it's on my TBR list.

My May Reads
For a few of these books I already discussed them so I'll be brief.

Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise That Launched America Into the Space Age--Robert L Stone
Non Fiction
Rating 5/5
The fascinating story is told in an interesting way. We experience the story through the following people.
-Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke
-Astronaut Frank Borman,
-Poppy Northcutt, a young mathematician who was the first woman to work in Mission Control
-Edward Dwight, an African American astronaut candidate

How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
Non fiction
Rate: 4/5
This slender book is the 2nd in the mindfulness series by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. I thought it was very insightful and I intend to read the other books in the series.

Searching for Sylvie Lee: A Novel by Jean Kwok
Fiction
Rate: 1/5
A READ WITH JENNA • TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK
The eldest daughter disappears. Family secrets unfold as the sister tries to find out what happened to her. I found the story to be very unrealistic.

Wild Life: Dispatches from a Childhood of Baboons and Button-Downs by Keena Roberts
Non Fiction
Audio Book
Narrator: Chloe Cannon
Rating: 3/5
This was an okay memoir. I had some issues with the veracity of the author. I really found some of her story a bit hard to believe. All too often she is the bravest or smartest one around. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, so that didn't help. Still, a 3 rating isn't bad.

The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey
Fiction
Rating 5/5
Audio and paper book
Narrator: Harriet Walter (Narrator)
I read the eBook as I also listen to the audio.
The narrator was Harriet Walter. I thought she was excellent.
I found to my surprise the book was quite poignant and I'll admit to shedding a tear or two.
It's the authors first novel and I liked it very much. I gave it a top rating of 5/5 I would give the narrator the same rating 5/5

Jennifer, it looks as though you had a healthy reading month. Grady Hendrix's Horrorstör sounds as though it is a refreshing haunting story. Thanks for sharing about it.

Meredith, i join Alias in the pleasure of seeing your highest rating for the Larson book on Churchill. It's on my list too but you are the first post i've seen about having read it. Good news.

Alias, if i saw the Cotton movie, i do not recall it. It sounds like something i would have watched back then and i'm a long time fan of Ossie Davis, finding his directing as good as his acting.

The Space stories book sound like a good approach to the topic. Different people have such different ways of looking at such an outstanding event.

Here are my May reads - only two! For shame! LOL Well I have been preoccupied as I started book blogging so been tied up with that, so I didn't read a whole lot last month while I was getting the blog off the ground. June is looking better so I will have a few to post next month! :)


Castaways by Brian Keene - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

House of Shadows by Darcy Coates - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Marie wrote: "Here are my May reads - only two! For shame! LOL Well I have been preoccupied as I started book blogging so been tied up with that, so I didn't read a whole lot last month while I was getting the b..."

It doesn't matter how many you read, just that you enjoyed them. And you did. Thank you for sharing, Marie.

Alias Reader wrote: "Marie wrote: "Here are my May reads - only two! For shame! LOL Well I have been preoccupied as I started book blogging so been tied up with that, so I didn't read a whole lot last month while I was..."


You are welcome, Alias! :-)

Two goodies, Marie! Congratulations on setting up your book blog. It can be time consuming in the beginning, i know, but you are there now. Please feel free to share the link to your blog here. And Happy Reading!

madrano wrote: "Two goodies, Marie! Congratulations on setting up your book blog. It can be time consuming in the beginning, i know, but you are there now. Please feel free to share the link to your blog here. And..."

Thank you Mandrano! :) I will post the book blog link over in the lounge! LOL :) I also have a book blog facebook link if anyone is interested in that - just let me know and I will post that link as well. I opened up a facebook account to share the blogs there and pulled friends along with author friends from here to over there. :)

Nice idea. I must admit that i seldom stray from Goodreads and wasn't aware folks used FB for blogs. Duh. Good luck with the blog--you are off to a great start.

I have 20 books as my goal for this year I got a slow start due to some family illness.

Jenny wrote: "I have 20 books as my goal for this year I got a slow start due to some family illness."

I had to check to see what number I chose this year for the GoodReads challenge. I had selected 30. I've already read 22.
Though of course that is before I knew I would be sheltering at home for months.

My May reads:

She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Classic
Rating: D
Review: Pretty boring and the writing is sub-par. I love reading Classic and I used to be able to stomach stereotypes and blatant racism and all the other bad terms, but I can't anymore. I rolled my eyes so many times they hurt.

The Jockey by Carson McCullers
Genre: Short StoryClassic
Rating: C
Review: This one kind of just went over my head.

The Return of the Thin White Duke by Neil Gaiman
Genre: Short Story, Fantasy
Rating: A
Review: This was such a beautiful story, but it needs to be read more than once to be completely understood (if such a thing is even possible).

El túnel by Ernesto Sabato
Genre: Fiction
Rating: C
Review: The story starts with Castel (the protagonist) writing on how he ended up in jail for murder of his lover Maria. He then continues to describe how he met her, their intense love affair and how he came to the idea to murder her.
Castel is most likely (almost certainly) a psychopath who becomes obsessed with a woman he sees admiring his painting and starts following her until they finally meet. He very soon becomes crazy about her and can't control his urges and becomes very controlling and possessive. At this part, I almost DNF-ed the book, because I know what it feels like to have someone control you and it's not pretty. I couldn't understand why Maria even fell for him, if she ever really did. The whole story is written through Castel's point of view, and in it, Maria is an elusive, married woman who has various lovers. What was Maria really like, or if she even had an affair with Castel, is something we'll never really know. Either way, and interesting, but heavy book to stomach.

Samanta wrote: "My May reads:

She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Classic
Rating: D
Review: Pretty boring and the writing is sub-par. I love r..."

Sorry to see you had a few clunkers in May. I hope June is treating you better.

I am, too, but not everything can be 5-star

This was my May highlight. I had put it to the side before but came back to it and finished it in two days this time. Fascinating read!

Samanta, i read Haggard's novel about 10 years ago. I agree with you, it was boring beyond words. It must be one of those books which was big & important at the time because it broke away from the norm but now seem ho-hum because lit has changed so.

Knowing of his reputation in his era, i thought that, perhaps, "She" was a blip in his record. So, i read his King Solomon's Mines. It was almost as boring. To be fair with both books, i think they offered new ideas in their time, which seem dated now because they became their own sort of "norm".

518, i can see why this book would keep a person reading, once well begun. I looked at the GR reviews for this Grady Hendrix book & see rave after rave for it. And some include photos of front covers & artwork for the pieces mentioned. Neat.

518 wrote: "

This was my May highlight. I had put it to the side before but came back to it and finished it in two..."

I read this last year. I thought it was pretty good and added a few of books to my reading list.

Julie wrote: "518 wrote: "

This was my May highlight. I had put it to the side before but came back to it and finish..."

I loved that book as I read it last year too! I gave it five stars here on GR. That is a really cool book. :)