Kate's Point of View

I recently signed up for a new email newsletter called Make America Read Again by Hillary Copsey and a standing section in the newsletter is called “Read Harder.” I love this sentiment. It aligns with what I’ve been trying to do this year in terms of reading classic novels and books that challenge me. The month of April included no classic novels, although one retelling of a classic novel that challenged me in unintended ways, but did include several books that pushed my thinking.

Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick

I love all novels by Matthew Quick. All. To my knowledge, the only one I haven’t read is the Silver Linings Playbook, but that’s only because I saw the movie first and it’s just so out of order. What I like about Quick is that he writes about mental illness and social awkwardness and general weirdness so well, so respectfully and with such a great infusion of humor. In Sorta Like a Rockstar, a YA novel, Amber Appleton lives on a bus and is surviving with little help from her mom but lots of help from an oddball support system she’s created for herself. Also, her pet dog is named Bobby Big Boy, or Thrice B, and I love that. If you don’t enjoy YA novels, skip this. Otherwise, I thoroughly recommend.

And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer

Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age by Amanu Al-Khatahbeh

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Here’s the deal. I read this book because it’s going to be a movie this summer starring Idris Elba. I think Elba is one of the most handsome actors out there, and that was motivation enough for me. All that said. I. Did. Not. Understand. ANY. Of. This. Book.

Maybe the movie will make more sense to me?

The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3) by Samantha Shannon

I read the first in The Bone Season series in 2014. In the introduction of the first book, Samantha Shannon stated it would be the first in a seven-part series. I thought that was such a audacious statement to say about your first novel that I was hooked before I started. The Bone Season series is dystopian fiction that pulls from all of the tropes you know, but it’s darker than many of the books I read and complicated without getting too bogged down in its huge cast of characters. If you’re interested in a new sci-fi series, check this one out.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Earlier this year I read Pride and Prejudice and just could’t see what the fuss was about. Eligible is a modern day retelling of that classic novel and set in my hometown of Cincinnati. It should have made the classic novel knowable to me, right? I hated it even more. I don’t think that’s the fault of Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing, though. If’ I am being picky about the writing itself, I’ll say that I thought placing the plot in Cincinnati was a bust because she included way too much detail. Had she tried less and maybe halved the localized details, I would have been more of a fan. Listening to characters running routes was like listening to Siri, in not a good way. That gripe aside, my main issue with the book, and the one it’s based on, is that I find the people to be deplorable. By setting the story in Cincinnati, Sittenfeld successfully pulled out every aspect I disliked about the wealthy girls at my high school and amplified those traits tenfold. I happily invite anyone to sit down with me and explain why either Eligible or Pride and Prejudice is beloved. Until then, yuck.

The Winemakers: A Novel of Wine and Secrets by Jan Moran

If you’re looking for a fluffy Summer read, check out The Winemakers: A Novel of Wine and Secrets by Jan Moran. It’s an entertaining romance that takes place in vineyards both in California and Italy. There is a near-incestual aspect of the plot that’s a little gross, but aside from that, grab a glass of wine, sit outside and enjoy.

Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins

Wonder Boy is obsessed with Phil Collins. Loves him. Named his car Phil Collins in homage. So when I started reading Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins, it was sort of a joke and sort of a way for me to expand my knowledge about my husband’s favorite musician. I was being a little glib, but also honest, when I rated this book as such: First half gets four stars and second half gets three, just like his career. Glib but accurate. The earlier part of Phil Collins career is fascinating and hearing him tell of it is like going back in time to great music history. As he aged, though, his insecurities got in his way. I don’t think that’s me being judge-y; he says as much. For music fans and people who love music trivia, I would at least suggest the first half of the book. When he gets to marriage number two, you can probably set it aside.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

I have a lot of friends and family who grew up poor and have their roots in Kentucky. Reading Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis gave me such insight into their life. I have increased appreciation and admiration for the people who “got out,” by which I mean moved out of poverty, earned an education and ended a cycle of poverty that potentially goes back generations. J.D. Vance, the author, is strikingly honest in this book. Because he grew up partially in Middletown, Ohio, which is just up the highway form me, a lot of his stories hit close to home, literally and figuratively. I can’t recommend this book enough, have already suggested it to many and am looking forward to hearing him speak in September at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Long Ago and Far Away by John Coyne

Although the plan itself feel very long ago and far away, last Fall, Wonder Boy and I were planning on visiting Ethiopia. As in my norm, I started researching by getting lots of novels that take place in that country. And then the trip had to be cancelled due to political unrest and my books started collecting dust.

Well, our visas are still good and we’re planning for this Fall and Ethiopia could (unlikely) be on the table as a destination, so I went back to my bookshelf. Long Ago and Far Away is about a groups of young people’s experience in Ethiopia in the 1970s just before the Ethiopian Civil War, as told in flashbacks. By having the different characters reflect on that time in Ethiopia, just before the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie, author John Coyne is able to share the anxiety and danger of being a resident in that country at that time without distracting from the main plot line. Despite the fact that the book is really about murder and isn’t exactly happy, Long Ago and Far Away made me more excited to visit Ethiopia. Travel research success.

The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan

A girl detective obsessed with science. A teen who solves crime using science, special powers and a pack of friends. A lady detective who, when she’s not landing her latest conquest, is catching the bad guy.

We all need someone to look up to, and thanks to three book series, readers of all ages can have a strong, smart female role model.

Flavia de Luce Novels by Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce is obsessed with chemistry and has a passion for poison. In her constant quest to find out what’s happening in the adult world around her, Flavia frequently stumbles across murder scenes. Not one to make a discovery like a dead body and leave it alone, Flavia of course investigates to solve the crime, usually helped along with some scientific know-how.

As the Flavia de Luce series progresses, there is a larger plot afoot, making it clear that Flavia is destined for great things. Along the way, readers get to accompany her on many adventures and learn some along the way.

These are 8.5 books in this series so far, beginning with The Sweetness in the Bottom of the Pie  and ending with Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d. These are written for adults, but can be enjoyed by children ages 11-12 and up.

Virals Series by  Brendan Reichs and Cathy Reichs

Readers of the Bones series will be familiar with Cathy Reichs’ quick, entertaining way of writing. The Virals series is a collaboration between Reichs and her son. In it, a group of teens catches parvo, a disease typically only contagious to dogs. The four teens who catch disease, and the wolf dog from whom they contracted it, become a pack with special powers. Tory, the leader of this otherwise male pack, leads the group to tackle crimes through the Charleston, South Carolina, area.

I’ve read each of the Bones books and a recurring complaint throughout the series is how the main character breaks off to explain scientific details. It reads as hokey and stops the flow of the story. Because the Virals books focus on a group of people, scientific facts can be shared in a more natural way, without interrupting the overall flow. It’s a welcome improvement.

There are five books in this series and one collection of short stories called Trace Evidence. These young adult novels can be enjoyed by adults, but are geared towards teens 13 and older.

Miss Phryne Fisher Books by Kerry Greenwood

When Phryne Fisher decorated her boudoir, she did it in a specific shade of green that would look good against her naked skin. She’s also more than willing to tie herself to the back of a car, unbeknownst to the driver, so she can catch a criminal in the act. Those two sentences tell you all you really need to know about what makes Phyrne such an entertaining character.

Set in Australia, the Miss Phryne Fisher Books, of which you might be familiar with from the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries television series, are delightful novels.  They are short enough to consume in an afternoon or two and contain a perfect mixture of adventure, mystery and sex. With 20 books in the series, it’s a wonderful find.

I describe the television series as being “PBS with sex.” The description applies for the books as well. They are definitely geared for adults but could be enjoyed by teens as well.

I’m reading The Moon by Night, a 1957 novel by Joy Packer, and there is a character, a native South African, who goes by the Americanized name Nimrod. I read that and was like, damn is this book racist. So racist! And, to be fair, it totally is. And xenophobic.

I’ve struggled to find novels set in Africa, though, and the way Packer describes the wilderness of South Africa is beautiful. So I’ve continued to read. (The book, which I bought at a used book sale from the library, also smells all musty and old, which is a definite added bonus.) After a while, two characters are discussing Nimrod and one tells the other that Nimrod selected the name himself. I thought that sounded pretty weird. Later, we learn that Nimrod is a pretty good name because of “Nimrod the Hunter.”

Nimrod the Hunter?

It turns out that Nimrod is referenced in the Bible as the great-grandson of Noah. The Bible says he was “a mighty hunter before the Lord.” So to call someone Nimrod is to call someone a great hunter.

There is (unsubstantiated but much cited) lore around the word that states that in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, Bugs sarcastically refers to his nemesis Elmer Fudd as a nimrod, and the meaning shifted. Forevermore. No longer is nimrod a compliment. I don’t know if that’s the real reason, but I like it if it is.

My book sis still racist. It’s still xenophobic. But it’s also teaching me a lot about South Africa and a little bit of etymology.

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