Book Review: NW

I only read this book for a book club.  The plot was a bit confusing.  The writer does not do a very good job describing the characters.  It took a few chapters before I realized what race the main character was (she was a different race than those around her).  The writer tries to set up the book with plot twists that are supposed to leave you gasping, but they just leave you scratching your head.  The twists are so obscure, you have to sit there and think for a few minutes before you realize what the twists were supposed to have expressed to you. 

Book Review: The Dovekeepers

I feel silly writing this, but I can only sum up this book in one way: this is a beautiful story.  I read this book a couple of years ago, but it was excellent.  The Dovekeepers follows the lives of a handful of different women in the time period around 40-30 BCE.  As each woman gets into the book’s spotlight, her backstory is slowly revealed.  Many times, the backstory shows an unusual (and beautiful) past and may also show how one woman’s story entertwines with another.  They all end up in the same location and live together in one area.  As you read the book, you see outside events invading that area and interfering with the women’s lives as well as everyone around them.  The book culminates into an unexpected ending that leaves you stunned.  (Sorry, I can’t be more explicit, but I don’t want to give the ending away).  Once you read the book, you will probably realize what historical event the book leads up to. 

This is an incredible book.  I wish I had a copy of this to re-read at will.

Book Review: Still Foolin’ Em

Billy Crystal came out with this autobiography in 2013.  It has been a very popular book; I was on the waitlist at my library for at least a couple of months.  This book is many things at once: funny, poignant, nostalgic and at times, even a tear-jerker (especially the last chapter).  Billy takes a chapter to go over each decade of his life.  In between, he throws in some chapters with some very funny bits.  In one hilarious chapter he describes what texting should be like for senior citizens.  Instead of LOL (for Laugh Out Loud), there should be a WAI (Where Am I?).  Too funny!  This book is a must-read.  You will LOL when reading it, that is for sure.