This book is one that I read for my book club, and I likely would never have picked it up otherwise. But I am glad I did. This is unlike most of the books I read, but it was fascinating; a historical look at one of America’s least known historians. Someone who has roots right in my own back yard. Here is my book review Short Nights Of The Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan.
Handsome, brilliant, talented Edward Curtis could have chosen many paths. But when an accident and injury as a young man caused him to discover photography his life would change forever. And with it the lives of thousands of people in the blossoming United States.
Leaving his family in the pioneering outback of Port Orchard and traveling by boat to the lumber boom town of Seattle, Edward Curtis became one of the best known photographers in the world. Starting with a photo of Princess Angeline, the last surviving daughter of Chief Sealth (Seattle).
Egan follows the story of Curtis’ life for the decades that follow, where he gives up everything to pursue a dream; a dream to capture and record the disappearing Native American tribes before it was too late. For thirty years Curtis will risk his life, as well as his family and finances in an effort to produce the series of books of photos of the American Indian.
It would take everything he had. And the real recognition of his talent and contribution to preservation of the Native American and American West would not be realized until long after his death. The book is a captivating account of his life and passion, the period in the burgeoning USA as well as in my home state of Washington as well as a factual account of the tribes and people who are the real true Americans.
I really enjoyed this book and learned so much. Thank you for reading my book review Short Nights Of The Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan.
Oh boy this was a good one. Like last week’s review about Hell of a Book, this week we look at another book about a book, but this time the suspense is gonna kill you. Here is my book review The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
Jacob Bonner was a promising young author when he published his first book…but since then nothing. His agent has booted him and he is demoralized, teaching and trying to maintain some kind of self-respect.
As a teacher in an annual symposium for up and coming writers, Jacob meets arrogant Evan Parker. Parker immediately tells Bonner he doesn’t need his help writing his book. He is only in the program to find an agent. Bonner dismisses the pompous would be author, until he hears the plot.
It’s a doozy and Bonner knows this self-important young man will go on to make millions…all while Bonner continues to flail away trying to write his next novel.
But Parker never writes the book…why not? When Bonner learns Parker has died tragically, Bonner steals the plot and writes the novel of all novels, becoming a best selling author, rich and famous.
Until Bonner receives an email with one sentence “You are a thief”. And that’s all it takes for Bonner’s world to begin to unravel.
This book has so many twists and turns you will stay up all night turning page after page. A bombshell twist will make you go “Wait. What?” as you try to figure out The Plot and who is out to get who? If you loved Gone Girl, The Plot is right up your alley.
Thank you for reading my Book Review The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
*****Five stars for The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
A year end review of reading. I did it. I set a goal last July to read 75 books in a year. And I did it, I read 83 books. Nearly all these books I read on Kindle while we were traveling. A couple were on Audible and a few were good old fashioned paperbacks. I enjoy books in all three applications.
Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve found it a bit difficult to stay focused on a book. My mind wanders a lot. But I still was able to meet my goal, and I also wrote one book review blog a week over the past year.
I don’t think I’ll set a goal for next year. I’m just gonna read for the love of reading. We can see a year from now how that turned out.
Reading Wednesday
I love that our Reading Wednesday feature on this blog is one of the most popular things about My Fab Fifties Life. If I can inspire you to get lost in a book, my job is done here. And hopefully a year end review of reading can do just that.
Although I gave five stars to many of the books I read, below is a list of my most favorite of the 83. In fact in the list below are five that I can say are some of the best books I have ever read…and that is saying a lot.
For a year end review of reading I’ve put those five at the top, and then below that the rest are listed randomly. I hope you can find a favorite of your own amongst this list and I thank you for your continuing support of Reading Wednesday and My Fab Fifties Life.
The Immoralists by Chloe Benjamen – if you were told when you were a child the exact day you would die, how might it affect everything about your life? So is the question Benjamen explores in the brilliant and unique novel The Immoralists. I loved this story.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn – Just after the end of WWII a young, unmarried and pregnant Charlie goes in search of her missing cousin in Europe. Her search will lead her to horror stories of the war and eventually to her true family and friends. I loved this book.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – I never read Stephen King so I was shocked to find that this story became one of my favorite reads ever. Not just about the assassination of JFK on 11/22/63, but an unequaled time travel book about the choices we might consider if we could go back and change history – would we do it and what would the consequences be. I loved this book.
The Testaments – by Margaret Atwood – Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale continues to rank as one of my favorite books of all time, even after 30 years. So it was with both excitement and trepidation that I waited for the release of the sequel (finally). It was worth the wait. Every bit as compelling and incomparable, even pulling in some subtle nods to the politics of the USA in 2020. I loved this book.
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd – Kidd’s bold re-telling of the story of Jesus once again shows her chutzpa as a writer, her creative ability and incomparable talent to take the reader on a well-worn journey with an absolutely fascinating new twist. I love Kidd’s work and The Book of Longings did not dissapoint. I loved this book.
It was hard for me to only choose five for the list above. Because there were so many good ones this year. Here are 14 more of the very best from the 83 books I finished this year.
From time to time I have moments that catch my breath when I think of a few near death experiences I have had in my life. The four moments that occasionally remind me of how lucky I am to still be kicking around. Three of these occurred in a car and one on a horse – inches and seconds from disaster.
In her memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, O’Farrell looks back on her own life where she can count 17 separate incidents of stepping too close to her own death. Several instances the reader can easily relate to, while others seem unfathomable to most of us.
But the part of the book that caught me somewhat off guard was the story of O’Farrell’s adult life struggle to keep her own daughter alive. A day to day process that involves constant monitoring of every item her daughter eats, breaths, touches…as O’Farrell and her family deal with a child with severe immune-system disorder.
This is the first time I have read O’Farrell’s work although she has numerous memoirs and novels. I enjoyed this story dispite it’s sometimes gut-wrenching detail.
A couple of months ago I read Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network and I really enjoyed it. So I decided to tackle her new book The Huntress. And I loved it even more. Here is my book Review of The Huntress by Kate Quinn.
Quinn introduces an intriguing cast of characters in The Huntress – a post World War Two novel built around the search for Nazi war criminals.
Nina Markova, raised in Siberia, turned Russian fighter pilot known as the Night Witches. Witness to unthinkable atrocities and dealing with her own pain and loss, with deep and disturbing memories of hate and revenge.
Ian Graham, British War Correspondent unable to let go of his own personal search for one particular war criminal, a woman known as The Huntress.
Jordan McBride, Boston teenager and aspiring photographer, Jordan wants to forget the war, move forward and live a life of her choosing.
Anneliese McBride, Jordan’s new step-mother, appears friendly and engaged in her new American life, but something underlies the perfect facade she allows.
This book is tightly written, with a believable plot that develops a different side of oft overdone WWII story. Quinn’s attention to research and detail is apparent in the mix of fact and fiction from descriptive landscape passages to intense emotional drama of the characters’ past and present.
In the end the reality is all of them are The Huntress. See for yourself if you agree.
I really loved this book and highly recommend The Huntress by Kate Quinn.
Five Stars for The Huntress. Read last week’s review of The Immortalists.
Spectacular novel by very young yet brilliant author Benjamin – her second effort and she really hit it out of the ballpark with The Immortalists.
I get giddy with bookie happiness when I find a novel with a unique and fresh plot – and that is decidedly what you get with The Immortalists.
If you were told when you were a child the exact date you would die, how might that information change the way you live? This is the theme of this brilliant family story…a story of children who carry the weight of this knowledge, a story of families with a burden to bare, and a story of a prophecy that will haunt the lives of four siblings for decades.
Sweeping in both scope and and ambition, Benjamin creates lovable characters, heartfelt and passionate human beings whose lives carry forward trailblazing the deep powerful prediction and what to do with this cognizance.
The Immortalists core question focuses on the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, religion and afterlife and most of all, family and aging.
I loved this novel and look forward to reading more by Chloe Benjamin.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Five stars for The Immortalist. Read last week’s review of Pieces of Her.
One of the best books I’ve read since The Dovekeepers, and similar in style. This beautifully written and Homeric first novel by Joukadar is poetic and powerful. I enjoyed every word.
Similar to works by Houssein about Afghanistan, Joukhadar takes us to ancient Syria and present day war torn Syria in a melodic tale that weaves fact and fiction, myth and legend, family and heartbreak.
The story follows two young girls in alternating timelines, one traveling and posing as a boy in ancient Syria on a mapmaking odyssey reminiscent of Homer. The other a young girl posing as a boy to survive crossing multiple borders in war torn present day Middle East North Africa along a similar route to survive the horrific and brutal destruction of her families home country.
A remarkably told story, gripping and beautiful. I highly recommend this debut novel. I learned a lot about Syria both past and present and have a greater appreciation of the devastation for the innocent victims of this violent situation. I look forward to more works by Joukhadar.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Five stars for The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar.
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