June Reading Recap
Hello, fellow book lovers! I hope everyone is staying cool. Summer is in full force here in Montreal. I’ve mostly spent my time reading in the cool AC. June’s reading was an assortment of some books I really enjoyed and others that were just "eh." I managed to snag a few buzzy books, Martyr! and Bear, from the library. I hope you can find some to add to your TBR. Until next time, happy reading!
P.S. Stay tuned for my post on the celebrity book club challenge.
Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar
Quick Synopsis: After losing his mother in a plane accident, Cyrus and his father move from Iran to the United States. Shortly after leaving for college, his father dies of a stroke, leaving him orphaned. Grappling his way through an existential crisis, Cyrus becomes obsessed with the concept of martyrs. After hearing about an artist who is terminally ill and spending her last days as an art exhibit in a museum in New York City, he books a trip to visit the artist, finding himself and learning about his family’s past along the way.
Strong/Weak Points: This is a tough review to write because most of the prose is great. There were a lot of good sentences I highlighted and a lot of paragraphs I read over and over again. Given Akbar’s history of being a successful poet, it’s not surprising that this book is almost poetic. And yet, at times, it felt like it was too wordy and babbled on and on, writing simply to get words on a page. I felt no connection to any of the characters. However, I will say, it could be that this book hit me at the wrong time, or maybe I’m the outlier within all of the buzz. I also found the ending a little predictable and a tiny bit corny.
So, I’m going to recommend this one because I think there’s something to take away from reading it. Even though I wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan, others loved it, which I suppose makes this a successful leap into fiction writing for Akbar. I’ll await his next one in hopes that I will connect with it better.
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Flow/Pacing: 2/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend
For Fans of: James by Percival Everett, Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bert, and Come and Get It by Kelly Reid
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham
Quick Synopsis: The Challenger was supposed to be the start of civilized space flight, but after just seventy-three seconds into the flight, the spacecraft exploded, killing everyone on the flight, including a teacher selected to promote space to the general public.
Strong Points: Yes, yes, yes! This book is everything I love in a nonfiction book and everything I crave in a book about space. I’m a bit of an astronaut and space buff, and this is now one of my favorites. It’s well-researched without being dry. Higginbotham gives readers the background on the host of problems that led up to the Challenger catastrophe, which had otherwise never been published in one book.
We get a short history of other NASA disasters and how they affected safety protocols that are now the standard. For example, the pre-launch explosion on Pad 34 led to the fire-resistant padding inside shuttles. The reader gets a behind-the-scenes look at the astronaut selection process, their flight training, their traditions and rituals before going into space, and how they prepare their loved ones for their flights. Also included is a look at the setbacks and pressure building to get this spacecraft launched, the trials that took place after the launch, and how the families coped with losing their loved ones.
I’m a sucker for pictures in nonfiction books, and the ones that were included were wonderful.
Okay, one last thing. I love when you get an epilogue where you get closure with the people you’ve spent 400+ pages with and don’t have to google them yourself to figure out what they did with the rest of their lives.
This was an enjoyable read from the first to the last page.
I haven’t read Higginbotham’s other book, Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster, but after reading this one, it’s high on my list.
Weak Points: Nada
Writing Style: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Highly Recommend
For Fans of: The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, Bringing Columbia Home by Michael D. Leinbach, and Fat Leonard by Craig Whitlock
Into Siberia: George Kennan’s Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia by Gregory Wallance
Quick Synopsis: After traveling throughout Russia in his early 20s, Kennan fell in love with the country and its people. Returning to the US, he defended Russia’s exile system until he was blue in the face. Keenan felt defensive of Russia. In 1885, he decided to travel there, research the exile system himself, and report back to the Americans. However, after traveling ten months and over eight thousand miles in the Siberian wasteland, Keenan came face-to-face with just how inhumane this system was. He returned to the US to spread awareness and put a stop to these heinous acts by traveling for nine years on a lecture tour and publishing the famous Siberia and the Exile System.
Strong Points: Wow was this book interesting. I was naïve about Siberian exiles and this time in Russia’s history, before the hatred between the US and Russia began. Some say Keenan’s trip to Siberia changed the relationship between the US and Russia forever.
Weak Points: At some points, it did become a little dry, but nothing that you couldn’t power through to get to the excitement of Keenan’s adventures.
Writing Style: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For fans of: Sailing the Graveyard Sea by Richard Snow, The Lost Tomb by Douglas Preston, and Between Two Fires by Joshua Yaffa
Bear by Julia Phillips
Quick Synopsis: Sam and Elena are two sisters who live on a small island off Washington State and dream of getting off the island to make a better life for themselves. One where they aren’t struggling to make ends meet while also struggling to pay their mother’s increasing medical bills. One night, a bear appears at their door and starts hanging around their house. How did it get there? Did it swim from the main land? Elena forges a bond with this bear, while Sam sees this as a sign to get off the island and start their new chapter.
Strong Points: Phillips’ Disappearing Earth was one of my favorite books of 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. It did not disappoint. Right from the jump, I fell right back into the lulls of her rhythmic writing. Her characters are once again well developed, with strong themes of sisterhood and growing up. It was beautifully tragic in the best of ways. Following up on her first novel was already a hard task, but she nailed it with Bear. Add Phillips to your list of authors to fall in love with.
Weak Points: I wish we had five or so more pages at the end to wrap up more loose ends.
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For fans of: Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo, Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor, and Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach
The Family Experiment by John Marrs
Quick Synopsis: With population and prices skyrocketing, many people cannot afford to start a family, so a company invents the technology that would allow couples to raise AI children in the metaverse with the help of a VR headset. To raise awareness about this new technology, the company launches a reality TV show following ten couples over nine months as they raise their AI child. The winner will have the choice to keep their AI child or take the prize money to raise a real child.
Strong/Weak Points: This book was wildly outrageous, yet very entertaining. It felt like I was reading a reality TV show. While I enjoyed the twists and turns, they did feel a bit ridiculous at times. Every ten pages there was a new plot twist. Overall, it was a fun concept and an amusing read if you’re looking for a light pallet cleanser.
Writing Style: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Recommend
For Fans of: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, and Clickbait by L.C. North
Thank you, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with a free, electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“On reaching the vacuum of space, it would be plunged into temperatures of minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit - the “cold soak,” low enough to embrittle metal to the point that it can shatter like hard candy.” - The Challenger by Adam Higginbotham
