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Book Report
Oct. 1st, 2016 06:01 amMy latest book report:
My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible, why did I finish it?
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J Fox – Only 2 CDs long, this is a memoir by the famous actor. I was surprised at how short it is, and then I saw that Fox has published other books too. (Should they be combined into 1 memoir??) In any case, the brief memoir definitely engaged me. I liked hearing how he went from high school drop out to respected actor. I would’ve liked to have heard a bit more about his fight against Parkinson’s. What’s weird about this CD is that Fox speaks very quickly during his narration, a bit too fast. It’s odd , shouldn’t an actor know about vocal pacing? Unless maybe the speed of his voice is related to the Parkinson’s? Grade: 5
Fallen Land by Taylor Brown – In the final year of the US civil war, a young couple in the ravaged South has to flee a band of marauders who believe that the man committed a crime against them. It was exciting at times and definitely drew me into this fascinating setting, but it wasn’t anything super-special either. Grade: 4
In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park - This is a memoir by a young woman who defected from North Korea. Her story absolutely enthralled me. I know I’ve read many books by folks who lived in North Korea and people who survived other horrific circumstances. Park is no exception; although her family was actually fairly well-off by North Korean standards, it still was a hellhole to live in. (One example. When she finally leaves North Korea, she gets a physical. She had never had a physical in her life before). I eagerly listened to this audiobook, wanting to know what would happen to Park and her family. One complaint: the voice actor was abysmal. I double-checked and the book is not narrated by the author, so I’m baffled as to why they hired someone who could barely speak or pronounce English; she was painful to listen to. Grade: 8
The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley – I recently read “Shrill” by Lindy West, and I gotta say again what a joy it is to be able to read books like this. Like West, Hurley is thoughtful, funny, brilliant, and brave. She writes candidly about her own life (trying to make it as a writer, deal with medical issues and having no money) and about the broader world of women writers, sexism, online harassment, and the like. I savored each essay. My only criticism is that the book contains a few too many short, choppy sentences which sound a bit too dramatic at times. Grade: 9
Soil Sisters by Lisa Kivirist - I love "how to" books and I love books about farming, so even though I have no intention of become a farmer, I loved this book of advice for women farmers. It was fun to read and very well-written, full of great tips and advice from a variety of women farmers. Extra bonus points for covering the experiences of people of color and queer people living in rural America. Grade: 7
My rating system:
10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible, why did I finish it?
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J Fox – Only 2 CDs long, this is a memoir by the famous actor. I was surprised at how short it is, and then I saw that Fox has published other books too. (Should they be combined into 1 memoir??) In any case, the brief memoir definitely engaged me. I liked hearing how he went from high school drop out to respected actor. I would’ve liked to have heard a bit more about his fight against Parkinson’s. What’s weird about this CD is that Fox speaks very quickly during his narration, a bit too fast. It’s odd , shouldn’t an actor know about vocal pacing? Unless maybe the speed of his voice is related to the Parkinson’s? Grade: 5
Fallen Land by Taylor Brown – In the final year of the US civil war, a young couple in the ravaged South has to flee a band of marauders who believe that the man committed a crime against them. It was exciting at times and definitely drew me into this fascinating setting, but it wasn’t anything super-special either. Grade: 4
In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park - This is a memoir by a young woman who defected from North Korea. Her story absolutely enthralled me. I know I’ve read many books by folks who lived in North Korea and people who survived other horrific circumstances. Park is no exception; although her family was actually fairly well-off by North Korean standards, it still was a hellhole to live in. (One example. When she finally leaves North Korea, she gets a physical. She had never had a physical in her life before). I eagerly listened to this audiobook, wanting to know what would happen to Park and her family. One complaint: the voice actor was abysmal. I double-checked and the book is not narrated by the author, so I’m baffled as to why they hired someone who could barely speak or pronounce English; she was painful to listen to. Grade: 8
The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley – I recently read “Shrill” by Lindy West, and I gotta say again what a joy it is to be able to read books like this. Like West, Hurley is thoughtful, funny, brilliant, and brave. She writes candidly about her own life (trying to make it as a writer, deal with medical issues and having no money) and about the broader world of women writers, sexism, online harassment, and the like. I savored each essay. My only criticism is that the book contains a few too many short, choppy sentences which sound a bit too dramatic at times. Grade: 9
Soil Sisters by Lisa Kivirist - I love "how to" books and I love books about farming, so even though I have no intention of become a farmer, I loved this book of advice for women farmers. It was fun to read and very well-written, full of great tips and advice from a variety of women farmers. Extra bonus points for covering the experiences of people of color and queer people living in rural America. Grade: 7
