Review: Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta

Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta by Richard Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 💥💥💥🔅
Personal memoir of author Richard Grant and his adventure of relocating to the Delta of Mississippi with his girlfriend.
Fascinating and unsettling narrative about the entrenched "plantation culture" and racism that still exists in Mississippi, but also about forging cross-cultural friendships and relationships. And hunting. Lots of hunting.
Having lived in the South for 17 years, some of it was familiar territory, but some of it is still shocking in the 21st century.
This is one of those audiobooks that I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I'd actually read it. The British narrator was hard to understand, especially when he was reciting proper names. It would have been so much easier to READ parts of this instead of listen. But still recommended.


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Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute, fun, witty YA romance.
Loved the sister dynamics (I don't have sisters - not sure if it's authentic or not).
Loved the circular love "triangles." (although a bit weird).
Hated the ending. Girl loves boy. Boy humiliates girl. Dad doesn't believe girl. Girl pines away for boy.
Just no. Awful message.
Haven't seen the Netflix series.

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Review: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Simply delightful!
If you're a fan of The Princess Bride and want first hand narration about casting and filming, this is a must read/listen. The audio book, narrated by the Man in Black himself, Cary Elwes, was pitch perfect. Plus, the added bonus of other actors narration like Robin Wright and Mandy Patinkin.
My only quibble was the seemingly obsession about Robin Wright's beauty. Yes, I get it, she's beautiful, and the part required princess-like beauty, but she's more than her beauty, right?
It was so fun to turn on the audio every morning at breakfast. The boys loved it too.
Great family entertainment.

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Review: Bellweather Rhapsody

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Glee meets The Shining.
A bunch of high school musician geeks meet up for a state competition at a creepy hotel in upstate New York. Weird concierge, nut job orchestra director, nerdy kids -- what's not to love?
Loved the writing.
Loved the crazy characters.
Loved all the references to Syracuse and central New York that I'm now familiar with!
There were gaping holes in the narrative - like - if a student goes missing, how are the police not called and the event immediately canceled? So very odd - but I'll give it a pass because I liked everything else.


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Review: News of the World

News of the World by Paulette Jiles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐🌟

Abducted by Kiowa Indians after her parents are killed, Johanna is "rescued" by Indian Agents in hopes she'll be returned to her next of kin.

Thus begins an Odyessan-like journey through the republic of Texas with Johanna and Captain Kidd at the reins of the Curative Waters wagon.

Heartbreaking story of the conflict between Native Americans and western settlers, family carnage, and the plight of a young girl. Also about unexpected love and family relationships.

Narrative is also replete with beautiful descriptions of the geology and botany of Texas.

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Review: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
Eleanor Oliphant is not completely fine - and I really enjoyed finding out why. I loved reading about her journey, her quirks, her friends, and her colleagues.
Her mummy, not so much.
Quite a few LOL moments. Quite a few heartbreaking revelations.
Some of the best cast of characters in a book that I've read in a long time. Especially Raymond.
I listened to part of this on audio - and the narrator was fantastic. It was a treat to hear the Scottish accents, which my brain doesn't automatically translate while visually reading.
A great book club choice! We had SO MUCH to discuss!


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Review: The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The life cycle of this book:
I started it as an audio while renovating my house. I was HOWLING it was so funny -- but probably only to me: a High School Canadian teenager moves to Texas and is immediately overwhelmed by all things UT, Longhorn, and burnt orange. As a Sooner, I laugh at ALL things orange. Seriously the narrator was great and the dialogue was whip smart. But then I finished my renovation project and the audiobook I downloaded expired from the library, so I didn't finish. I was intrigued enough that after a 2 week hiatus I managed to check out the hard copy at the library. Once I started reading it, the characters weren't nearly so funny and in fact, they were snarky, mean and annoying. Now granted, they were teenagers, so what would one expect, right? But it wasn't doing anything for me. But by that time I was over half way done, so I persevered. I must say, the last third and the end of the book surprised me -- the teenage relationships took an unexpected turn, there was some racial injustice that was addressed by a parent, and it wasn't tied up in a neat bow, which was refreshing.

Overall -- book started as a 5, middle was a 1, end was a 4 -- I figured a 3 star rating was fair enough.

*Sensitive reader: no teenage sexapades, but plenty of Fbombs.

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Review: The Viscount Who Loved Me

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't like this as much as the first one -- hard to beat Simon and Daphne.
I'm trying to figure out how Shonda Rhimes will turn this into a Netflix series.


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Review: Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've not watched a single episode of any of her TV shows -- but I certainly loved her witty, uplifting memoir. A reminder to "say yes" to opportunities, but be willing to say no to people or things that will drag you down. I read portions of this book to my kids on a current road trip because I felt what she had written was important enough to hear them groan from the back seat.
It would be a great gift for graduating high school seniors. Especially females.

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Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh this book...frustrating and beautiful all between the front and back covers. At any given time it could have been 1 star or 5 stars.

Confined to The Hotel Metropol in Moscow after being sentenced to a house arrest (as opposed to being executed) after the Russian Revolution, Count Alexander Rostov becomes a staple of hotel life. He knows the staff, the guests, the secrets of the building. Remember -- he never leaves.

This is why I was frustrated through 2/3 of the book because nothing really happened. It was all character driven interactions and the daily minutiae of hotel operations. The writing was beautiful and the characters unique and multifaceted -- but no one ever left the building!

Then Nina appeared. Then Sophia. Then the last 1/3 of the book was this beautiful, complicated story of love, friendship, relationships, politics, and conflict that were built over the proceeding years (and many, many pages).

So -- I'm so glad I persevered and finished the book. It was a totally worth it in the end.

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