I ended up with a varied little mix of summer reads this past month. Onward to my quick thoughts!
The Girl with Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee (2015)
From: Local Library (Hold List, waited 4+ months)
"I was already hiding beneath so many lies that I hardly knew who I was any more. I was becoming a non-person."
This is the story of a young woman who escaped from North Korea, but it's not a gritty and horrifying read along the lines of Escape from Camp 14 or The Aquariums of Pyongyang where the atrocities of the NK gulags are exposed. Rather, it's a story of a more "ordinary" life. Hyeonseo didn't flee across treacherous deserts at the mercy of traffickers (like many others that she meets later on did); she "merely" illegally crossed the river that borders China on a teenage adventure to visit a family friend, only to realize too late that her decision was irreversible. The Girl With Seven Names exposes not only the lengths that many North Korean citizens go through to escape, but the difficulties that they face once outside. It's an interesting and important read, and a good pick for anyone unfamiliar with the subject.
Related Reads:
In Order to Live (Park)
Nothing to Envy (Demick)
Fire and Fury - David Wolff (2017)
From: Local Library (Hold List, waited 6+ months)
"This was the peculiar and haunting consensus - not that Trump was guilty of all that he was accused of, but that he was guilty of so much else. It was all too possible that the hardly plausible would lead to the totally credible."
I'll be honest and admit that I had a hard time finishing this. Part of the issue is that the book, though published within the last year, is already fairly dated. There are also a lot of names thrown about, and while most who pay attention to the news will have at least passing familiarity with many of the political figures, it's hard for someone like me (who tends to need to pair faces with names) to keep track of all the players mentioned.
That all said, it's almost gossip-column-esque, weirdly quotable, and an interestingly terrible read - taken with several grains of salt.
Related Reads:
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible (Pomerantev)
Magic Kingdom For Sale - Terry Brooks (1986)
From: Bought at local library book store in early April
"Visions born of fear give birth to our failing. Visions born of hope give birth to our success."
This is the first Terry Brooks book I've read, so I went in not really knowing what to expect. I think I was assuming something a little more along the lines of Terry Pratchett - that is, a story that didn't take itself very seriously. And there is a little bit of that aspect here. But at other points (and again, this may just be the unfortunate result of me having recently read a good amount of Discworld novels), it seemed to be trying a little too hard. I also had a problem taking the title of High Lord seriously because of playing Ni no Kuni (wherein a comical character repeatedly proclaims himself to be the "Lord High Lord of the Fairies").
My weird quibbles aside, though, I rather enjoyed the read (notwithstanding that it was a bit slow and uneven), and I think it was a pretty good introduction novel to the author. I was left with the overall sense that it read like a book that just happened to have fantasy elements, not like a fantasy book per se [perhaps this is a) somewhat due to the decade it was written, and/or b) very intentional given the main character's background and arc, but I'm interested in seeing if I get the same impression with other Brooks novels].
Related Reads
The Merlin Conspiracy (Jones)
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore (Sloan)
Coming Clean - Kimberly Rae Miller (2013)
From: Local Library
"Before there was ever a word for hoarding, I knew that whatever driving force drew my father to garbage was beyond his control. I never felt like he loved stuff more than he loved me. He loved stuff. And he loved me."
This is squarely in the memoir rather than the self-help genre, but it still is a potentially-enlightening read for those who haven't experienced living in a hoarding situation first-hand, and a possibly-cathartic read for those who have.
I appreciated Miller's honesty throughout the book, and it's obvious that the book was somewhat of a therapeutic exercise for her - experiencing PTSD as an adult became a catalyst for her starting to finally deal with her childhood, and she doesn't shy away from the ways that she enabled her parents as an adult. I did notice a section or two that seemed repetitive and/or out of place, and I was slightly annoyed by the author's focus on how smart she was as a child. Overall, though, it's a helpful read for people who have experienced similar situations or have loved ones who have.
Related Reads:
Dirty Secret (Sholl)
The Secret Lives of Hoarders (Paxton)
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - Nathaniel Philbrick (2000)
From: Local Library
"Backlit by the red glow of a dying island, the twenty men of the Essex ventured into the farthest reaches of the Pacific, looking for another whale to kill."
This book is a new favorite of mine; the events surrounding the sinking of the Essex in 1819 inspired Melville's book Moby-Dick. It should come as no surprise that In the Heart of the Sea is fascinating and full of history. Philbrick makes good use of the historical material and accounts available, bolstered by his drawing from similar accounts and situations throughout. He also explores the history of Nantucket and as delves into cultural backgrounds and psychological explorations for the various figures. One particular thread of note throughout is the havoc that 19th-century sailors played on the biodiversity of the sea and the islands that they visited.
Read this if you're at all a history buff and intrigued by adventure/survival stories. It made me want to read and learn more (perhaps yet more accounts have been uncovered since this book's publication?), and my only wish was that the book was longer.
Content note: the book does include descriptions of cannibalism, butchering animals, and the effects of extreme hunger and dehydration on people.
Related Reads:
Moby-Dick (Melville)
Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean (Logan)
Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder, and Piracy (published by Hurst & Co; free on Kindle)
The Girl with Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee (2015)
From: Local Library (Hold List, waited 4+ months)
"I was already hiding beneath so many lies that I hardly knew who I was any more. I was becoming a non-person."
This is the story of a young woman who escaped from North Korea, but it's not a gritty and horrifying read along the lines of Escape from Camp 14 or The Aquariums of Pyongyang where the atrocities of the NK gulags are exposed. Rather, it's a story of a more "ordinary" life. Hyeonseo didn't flee across treacherous deserts at the mercy of traffickers (like many others that she meets later on did); she "merely" illegally crossed the river that borders China on a teenage adventure to visit a family friend, only to realize too late that her decision was irreversible. The Girl With Seven Names exposes not only the lengths that many North Korean citizens go through to escape, but the difficulties that they face once outside. It's an interesting and important read, and a good pick for anyone unfamiliar with the subject.
Related Reads:
In Order to Live (Park)
Nothing to Envy (Demick)
Fire and Fury - David Wolff (2017)
From: Local Library (Hold List, waited 6+ months)
"This was the peculiar and haunting consensus - not that Trump was guilty of all that he was accused of, but that he was guilty of so much else. It was all too possible that the hardly plausible would lead to the totally credible."
I'll be honest and admit that I had a hard time finishing this. Part of the issue is that the book, though published within the last year, is already fairly dated. There are also a lot of names thrown about, and while most who pay attention to the news will have at least passing familiarity with many of the political figures, it's hard for someone like me (who tends to need to pair faces with names) to keep track of all the players mentioned.
That all said, it's almost gossip-column-esque, weirdly quotable, and an interestingly terrible read - taken with several grains of salt.
Related Reads:
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible (Pomerantev)
Magic Kingdom For Sale - Terry Brooks (1986)
From: Bought at local library book store in early April
"Visions born of fear give birth to our failing. Visions born of hope give birth to our success."
This is the first Terry Brooks book I've read, so I went in not really knowing what to expect. I think I was assuming something a little more along the lines of Terry Pratchett - that is, a story that didn't take itself very seriously. And there is a little bit of that aspect here. But at other points (and again, this may just be the unfortunate result of me having recently read a good amount of Discworld novels), it seemed to be trying a little too hard. I also had a problem taking the title of High Lord seriously because of playing Ni no Kuni (wherein a comical character repeatedly proclaims himself to be the "Lord High Lord of the Fairies").
My weird quibbles aside, though, I rather enjoyed the read (notwithstanding that it was a bit slow and uneven), and I think it was a pretty good introduction novel to the author. I was left with the overall sense that it read like a book that just happened to have fantasy elements, not like a fantasy book per se [perhaps this is a) somewhat due to the decade it was written, and/or b) very intentional given the main character's background and arc, but I'm interested in seeing if I get the same impression with other Brooks novels].
Related Reads
The Merlin Conspiracy (Jones)
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore (Sloan)
Coming Clean - Kimberly Rae Miller (2013)
From: Local Library
"Before there was ever a word for hoarding, I knew that whatever driving force drew my father to garbage was beyond his control. I never felt like he loved stuff more than he loved me. He loved stuff. And he loved me."
This is squarely in the memoir rather than the self-help genre, but it still is a potentially-enlightening read for those who haven't experienced living in a hoarding situation first-hand, and a possibly-cathartic read for those who have.
I appreciated Miller's honesty throughout the book, and it's obvious that the book was somewhat of a therapeutic exercise for her - experiencing PTSD as an adult became a catalyst for her starting to finally deal with her childhood, and she doesn't shy away from the ways that she enabled her parents as an adult. I did notice a section or two that seemed repetitive and/or out of place, and I was slightly annoyed by the author's focus on how smart she was as a child. Overall, though, it's a helpful read for people who have experienced similar situations or have loved ones who have.
Related Reads:
Dirty Secret (Sholl)
The Secret Lives of Hoarders (Paxton)
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - Nathaniel Philbrick (2000)
From: Local Library
"Backlit by the red glow of a dying island, the twenty men of the Essex ventured into the farthest reaches of the Pacific, looking for another whale to kill."
This book is a new favorite of mine; the events surrounding the sinking of the Essex in 1819 inspired Melville's book Moby-Dick. It should come as no surprise that In the Heart of the Sea is fascinating and full of history. Philbrick makes good use of the historical material and accounts available, bolstered by his drawing from similar accounts and situations throughout. He also explores the history of Nantucket and as delves into cultural backgrounds and psychological explorations for the various figures. One particular thread of note throughout is the havoc that 19th-century sailors played on the biodiversity of the sea and the islands that they visited.
Read this if you're at all a history buff and intrigued by adventure/survival stories. It made me want to read and learn more (perhaps yet more accounts have been uncovered since this book's publication?), and my only wish was that the book was longer.
Content note: the book does include descriptions of cannibalism, butchering animals, and the effects of extreme hunger and dehydration on people.
Related Reads:
Moby-Dick (Melville)
Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean (Logan)
Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder, and Piracy (published by Hurst & Co; free on Kindle)
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