Review: The Hummingbird

Deborah Birch is used to dealing with difficult situations. She is a hospice nurse, after all. But when her husband comes home from Iraq with serious problems, she is unsure how she can help him. So she continues focusing on her patients. Her newest case is Barclay Reed, a grumpy retired professor. Reed is not pleased to need assistance, but he eventually warms to Deborah and asks her to read his last academic endeavor aloud. His book is about a Japanese fighter pilot who returns to America after WWII. Reed proposes that this story might be just the thing Deborah needs to help her husband start to heal. The only catch is that he won't tell her if the story is true or an invented tale that cost Reed his career and his family.

The Hummingbird moves in dual narratives. Deborah's care for her patient and husband is interspersed with excerpts from Reed's book. It is fascinating to learn about Japanese plans for war and about the life of one pilot in particular. I often found myself wanting to spend more time with Japanese fighter pilot Ichiro Soga.

Reading about Deborah as a hospice nurse is inspiring. The people who do this kind of work are incredibly kind and patient. I also enjoyed watching the relationship between Deborah and Reed evolve. In the beginning, he is known as the patient who fires all of his nurses and enjoys outwitting Deborah. They soon start to really care for each other. But I sometimes had some trouble with Deborah and her husband Michael. Firstly, I worried for Deborah. I think when someone's spouse is repeatedly violent, there needs to be some intervention (even in fiction). And in spite of their serious marital problems and Michael's PTSD, Deborah seems unable to ever see him without thinking about how hot he is.

While I had some trouble with their part of the storyline, The Hummingbird provided my favorite kind of historical fiction. I loved learning that there really was a Japanese fighter pilot who attempted to bomb the American west coast and was later invited to visit the United States. This is a story of love and forgiveness, about learning when to fight and when to make peace, and about making a life that counts and learning to die with dignity.

The Hummingbird

By Stephen P. Kiernan

William Morrow September 2015

320 pages

Received for review from TLC Book Tours and the publisher

September Wrap-Up and What I'm Into

September is always a time of transition. We pack away the swim suits and flip flops and pull out the heavy sweaters and boots. The kids head back to school and a new routine of early morning walks to the bus stop begins.

I don't think I feel quite settled into fall yet. The weather keeps changing its mind and I put out clothes for the kids that don't match what is happening outside. But we're getting there and I hope we will be in full fall swing soon, complete with apple pie, pumpkin coffee, and crafts with leaves. Well, let's not get crazy. Crafting is not really my strong suit...

     

What I Read/Reviewed:
In September, I reviewed 12 books. Ten were fiction and two were nonfiction. Four were library books, three were my own books, and five were for review.

                 
I think my favorite was Karen Russell's short story collection Vampires in the Lemon Grove. It's the perfect spooky read for your fall evenings and Russell is an incredible writer. 

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street  Vampires in the Lemon Grove  The Truth According to Us

The Race for Paris    The Art of Crash Landing    For the Love

The Small Backs of Children    I Am Malala    A Marriage of Opposites

The Last Policeman    Ink and Bone    The Word Exchange 

Favorite post from this month:
I'm sure I shocked some other readers when I admitted that I just don't buy a lot of books. Don't worry, I explain myself! 

What I'm watching:

We are still working through Parks and Rec, and are currently on Season 5. It's the perfect show to watch at the end of a long day. 

We are also starting fall TV. There are some new shows we are going to try (Blindspot, Quantico) and some old shows that we are not sure we will continue (NCIS, Castle). What are your must-watch fall shows?

What I've been listening to:

Hamilton! Hamilton! In the Heights is one of my favorite cast albums and I will forever be sad that I didn't see the show when it was on Broadway. I don't plan to make the same mistake with Lin-Manuel Miranda's new show.

I really miss The Civil Wars but, if I can't have them together, Joy William's new solo album Venus is not a bad substitution.

 


What I've been Cooking and Baking (all photos from respective sites):
Lots of soup - colder days call for a hot bowl of soup and some fresh baked bread. In the past few weeks, I've made White Chicken Chili and Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup.

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon for your fancy dinners



This Caramelized Shallot, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Pasta

What We Love This Month: 

1) Our local Little Free Library
When D had a day off from school, we went on an adventure and found our closest LFL. Ours is set in a tree nook in this beautiful neighborhood. We will definitely be back soon!

2) The Map to Everywhere 
A while ago, I downloaded a chapter book for D from Netgalley and sort of forgot about it. He loves to read, but prefers to read to himself. The mandated 20 minutes he needs to read to a parent every night for school are actually not his favorite. So I thought making it special might help and let him read this book on my Kindle.

He loved reading on the Kindle and he loved this story of magic and adventure, complete with a flying ship! We are now eagerly anticipating the sequel.
 
3) The Laurie Berkner Band 

BG comes along for the hour long ride when I work a few days each week. I checked out some children's CDs from the library to make the experience slightly less painful.

Laurie Berkner Lullabies has been a bedtime mainstay for a while, but this was our first time listening to The Best of The Laurie Berkner Band. We both love it. We sing together in the car and I'm not even that mad that the songs have been stuck in my head for days...

What did you love in September?

Mini-reviews: The Word Exchange and Ink and Bone

Jess Brightwell is a very specific kind of thief. He and his family specialize in procuring books for connoisseurs, which is extremely dangerous in a world ruled by The Great Library. The libraries alone are allowed to hold copies of books and personal ownership is forbidden. Jess is recruited to be an apprentice at the library and his father sees this as a perfect opportunity for expanding the family business. Jess and his classmates are given impossible tests, as they learn how to transfer books from one place to another and the proper techniques to confront someone suspected of owning books. But they soon find out that the world of the Library is much more complicated and sinister than they ever could have imagined.

Sometimes you read a book and it's as if you can see the movie version unfolding before you. Cinematic is a great description for Ink and Bone, with giant lions automatons who actively guard the library and a city under siege. This is the kind of story that you get swept up in, only to suddenly realize that it is 2 a.m. and you should really sleep at some point. There is amazing world building in this book, and the reader gets the feeling that this is only the tip of the iceberg. While the characters seemed somewhat like types towards the beginning, as the story progressed, we find that few people are exactly who they seem and there are incredible layers to most of the characters. When July of next year rolls around, I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Ink and Bone
By Rachel Caine
NAL July 2015
351 pages
From the library

Anana Johnson straddles two very different worlds. By day, she helps her editor father put the final touches on a print version of the North American Dictionary of the English Language. But it will be the last edition - outside the walls of their office, people are increasingly dependent on the memes that anticipate their every need and allow them to pay for their bill, schedule a doctor's appointment, or supply the word stuck on the tip of your tongue. One night, Ana's father doesn't show up for dinner. He has vanished, leaving as a clue just the word "Alice." Ana sets out to find her father and along the way, discovers the power and danger of the meme and just what is causing the word flu that is striking the world.

I enjoyed this book, but it sometimes felt like the stakes were pretty low because Ana is writing about this all after the fact. In spite of that, it made me really think about the ways that technology both helps and hinder us. While we are not suffering from the world flu like the characters in this book, it is not hard to imagine that our memories and ability to critically think are decreasing because we have all of the answers in the world at the other end of our keyboards.The Word Exchange is a fun adventure for the reader who loves playing with language and thinking about the power of a single word.


The Word Exchange
By Alena Graedon
Anchor February 2015
370 pages
From my shelves

It's Monday and we found our Little Free Library!

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the part of our show when we talk about what we have been doing and reading this week.

This was a fairly normal week with the exception of Wednesday. Because husband is a pastor, Wednesday is kind of our first day of the weekend (just stuck in the middle of the workweek). D had off from school this Wednesday, so we were able to get in some great family time. We went to brunch at the always delicious Turning Point and embarked on an adventure to find our nearest Little Free Library. It's wonderfully close and we donated some books and each of the kiddos came away with a new read or three...

This week, I devoured the very readable A Window Opens and then read Truth and Beauty, which broke my heart a bit and confirmed that I would read Ann Patchett's grocery list. Just this afternoon (Sunday), I finished The Hummingbird, which is my favorite kind of historical fiction - the kind based on a true story and real people. On the blog, I reviewed I Am Malala, A Marriage of Opposites, and The Last Policeman.

                

Upcoming reads include All We Have Is Now and A Monster Calls so I am jumping on the YA train for the next few days!

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Last Policeman

Hank Palace has recently been promoted to detective in the Concord, New Hampshire police department. He is eager to do good work and solve the homicides that come across his desk. But timing is everything and his fellow cops are less than enthusiastic about solving crime. These days, most deaths are suicides because the end of the world is coming in exactly six months. An asteroid will strike the earth and wipe out the whole planet.

In many end-of-the world stories, there is a sense of urgency because the end is inevitable (and soon). In The Last Policeman, there is a sense of ennui because the end is certain but it's a long way off. This may be a mystery, but it's also a fascinating study in humanity. What do people do when they have months to wait before a violent end? What matters at the end - do you go to work, raise your kids, and pretend like nothing is wrong or does the social order break down as people complete their bucket lists or end it all before the world falls apart?

Hank is a genuinely good guy, trying to find his way in a job and a world that looks very little like the one he remembers. He is committed to doing his job, taking care of his sister Nico (if he can - she's quite the character herself), and doing what he perceives to be the right thing. His enthusiasm is the thing that carries him through, because he has little training or experience with being a detective. Winters excels at showing us Hank bit by bit. One of my favorite insights was that Hank takes case notes in college blue books because his father was a professor and left boxes of them in the family attic. While the mystery is slowly revealed, I also felt like I was gleaning a fuller picture of who Hank is and why he makes certain choices.

The Last Policeman will likely be different from any mystery you have read before. Instead of the usual high-stakes pressure to solve a crime, there are softer and bigger questions. Is this the way Hank wants to spend the time he has left? Does keeping the scaffolding of polite society upright matter anymore? This is the first book in a trilogy and I have the feeling that Winters has left plenty of breadcrumbs to follow through the books. I can't wait to find out what Hank Palace does with the rest of his time left on earth.

The Last Policeman

By Ben H. Winters

Quirk Books May 2013

336 pages

From my shelves

Book #1 for Readers in Peril X

Review: A Marriage of Opposites

Rachel is part of a small group of Jews living on St. Thomas in the 19th century. Her parents are seen as pillars of the community, but Rachel dreams big and is not afraid to act or speak out. She dreams of controlling her own life, and perhaps even living in glamorous Paris. Her dreams are encouraged by the family maid Adelle and Adelle's daughter Jestine, who is Rachel's best friend. But Rachel's dreams come to an abrupt end as she is married off to a much older widower in an effort to save the family business. When Rachel's husband dies, she falls passionately in love with someone who is deemed completely inappropriate by her community. Is now the moment when Rachel can finally start writing her own story?

A Marriage of Opposites covers a lot of ground in one book. Readers see Rachel as she grows from an idealistic girl to a resigned young woman to a wife and mother who tries to balance the needs of her family and the desires of her own heart. Then the focus switches to her son as he defies convention in the same way that his mother did and decides to follow his dream of making art and going to Paris. Woven throughout are glimpses of what it means to have power and wealth and the dire consequences of not having those things. Rachel and her family are banned from their synagogue after she chooses to pursue a new relationship and her best friend Jestine has her heart irrevocably broken when people with more power and lighter skin take away the one she loves the most.

Although this book is about real people, the universal story here is about parents and children. Rachel dreamed for years about getting out from under her mother's oppressive control, but does the same thing to her own children without seeing the parallels. Camille bristles under his mother's direction, but his mother dreamed of Paris just as he does and fell in love with someone unsuitable just as he will.

I love Alice Hoffman. To date, she has written more than 30 novels and I will probably pick them all up at some point or another. As usual in Hoffman's writing, there is magic around the edges of a real story. In this case, Rachel is particularly attuned to the spirits of the island and perhaps, the spirits of ancestors in her Jewish community. While this is not my favorite Hoffman novel, it remains a testament to her ability to evoke a specific time and place. Some writers seem forced to stay in one time period, but Hoffman takes readers from 20th century NYC to the ancient fortress of Masada to the breathtaking island St. Thomas with equal skill.

The Marriage of Opposites

By Alice Hoffman

Simon and Schuster August 2015

384 pages

Read via Netgalley

Audiobook Review: I Am Malala

Most people know of Malala Yousafzai, the teen who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 because she dared to fight for education for girls. Malala survived the attack and I Am Malala is her story. The book is co-written by journalist Christina Lamb and the two tell the story of Malala, her family, and the Swat Valley that was her home.

There are pluses and minuses to listening to Malala's story as an audiobook. On the one hand, Archie Panjabi does a fantastic job of reading the book and listening to Malala herself recount what happened to her on that fateful October day in the prologue brought me to tears. However, she also delves deep into the history and politics of the Swat Valley region where she grew up. There were many moments when I would have appreciated being able to flip back a few pages and find the connections between events.

One of my favorite things about Malala's decision to tell her story is her commitment to showing that she is just a normal teenager. It would be easy for her to sit on some sort of pedestal as a Nobel Prize winner. Instead, she is candid about her fights with her siblings, a youthful bout of stealing from a friend, and her love for Ugly Betty and Beyonce. She talks about the dissonance between her perception of herself as a normal girl and the media's portrayal of her as "the girl who was shot by the Taliban."

While this is unarguably Malala's story, we also learn a lot about her father Ziauddin. He was the one who ran the school for girls in the face of opposition from the Taliban. Ziauddin hated the ways that school were required to follow the decrees of whoever was in power and do favors and give bribes to the right people. Instead, he started his own school even when the upkeep threatened the financial well being of his own family. He also encouraged his daughter to speak up for her right to an education. One of my favorite parts of the book was hearing about Ziauddin's decision to name his daughter after a legendary poet and female warrior. He says that he knew from birth that his daughter was special and would do amazing things.

I Am Malala is an important story. Before she even turns twenty, Malala has found her voice, a cause to fight for, and the courage to carry on in the face of great opposition. As she recounts her squabbles with her brothers and teasing from her father, she reminds us that families in Pakistan are not so different from our own here in the United States. As she recounts the history of her country and her people, she teaches us about a place most of us have never seen and opens our eyes to what is happening on the other side of the world. When she fights for every girl and boy to have an education, she reminds us that "one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” 

I Am Malala

By Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Hachette Audio 2013

9 discs; 10 hours

From the library