Book review: "Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear" by Margee Kerr

I don't think Margee Kerr and I would spend a lot of time together. She seeks out scary places, and I spend most of the time (on the rare occasions) that I watch scary movies between my fingers and very tense.

Our author studies fear, and so in the book she experiences old haunted prisons, haunted houses all over the place, a forest where people go to commit suicide in Japan, and more places that I will spend the rest of my life avoiding. (Though, the suicide forest in Japan is super interesting, I'd read a book about that. At home. With people. With lights on. Because duh.)

So here's some interesting facts from the book to intrigue you:

-When she visits the suicide forest place in Japan she discusses the country's curiously high suicide rate. It's "consistently ranked among the ten counties with the highest suicide rates in the world". Which is interesting because it has a really low death rate. Suicide is the number one cause of death death for men between the ages of twenty and forty four. (In the US, it's "unintentional injuries" which means accidents, which I bet includes a lot of motorcycle accidents, but that's just me editorializing.)

-This is just a random fact I thought was interesting - "Over 300,000 people were killed by big cats through the 1800s on the Indian subcontinent alone - and they had guns!" (Meaning people had guns, not the big cats. The number would have been higher then!)

- She talks about "dark tourism", which is something that I'd vaguely hear of before. It's discussed by The Atlantic here and it's ick and interesting and all kinds of things that I don't know what to make of it.

- Also, this is totally conjecture on my part, but if you read between the lined in the book and in the acknowledgments I feel like she fell in love with someone that she was talking to at one of the places she investigated.

In general I found the book fine, it scratched an itch I needed for a super specific work of nonfiction (because you guys know, that's my jam) but I don't think it's something I'd read over and over. So I guess a 3 out of 5!

Book review: "Pearl Buck in China" by Hilary Spurling

This is not our usual expat/fish out of water story. But it's probably better because you actually get two stories in one!

Pearl Buck grew up in China, the daughter of a long suffering mother and a religious zealot of a missionary father. (When I say zealous I mean crazy. Like he was pretty convinced that women didn't have a soul. And all the other missionaries hates him. And he was named Absalom, which if you're familiar with the Bible, you know that's not someone you'd want to be named after. Not that you can help what your parents name you, but still...)

Early 1900s China was a very isolated place to be, especially the very rural places where Pearl grew up. Her blonde hair and "wild animal" eyes made her the subject of much scorn and finger pointing. However, she didn't keep to herself, she mingled among the Chinese and picked up a very "common" dialect of Chinese.

Pearl's father would be gone for long periods of time, much to the relief of her mother and siblings. She would spend much of her time reading and re-reading the few books in the family library. It was plain to see that Pearl was smart and yearned for more education, so her mother pleaded her father down until she was allowed to go to school back in the United States. Her first two years in college were, unshockingly, awkward and confusing. But by the end she was the class president!

As a side note- there were a lot of opportunities to for the family to go back and forth from wherever they were living in China back to the family roots in West Virginia.  (I felt like they went back and forth between the states and China a LOT considering the time it would take and the transportation options). One time they were even home for a few years because of the extreme violence against foreigners and missionaries because of the Boxer's Rebellion.

Pearl bounced back and forth between China and America her whole life, though after college she thought she'd never go back again, but it wasn't to be.

She was finally driven to write about China out of the desire for financial stability for her daughter, who was born with some kind of developmental delay. (We, nor Pearl, never got a diagnosis). Her first book "The Good Earth" was successful enough that her daughter's needs were taken care of for the rest of her life. Though Pearl continued to write prodigiously. The Chinese were scandalized by all of Pearl's books because they talked unflinchingly about the Chinese people and their struggles. She also wrote a book (thinly veiled fiction) about her mother's life, and another about her father's. The book about her dad was NOT complimentary in anyway.

Real Talk: I've not read any of her books, and frankly this book didn't make me want to pick any of them up. I like that she chose to write about people how they really are and not some weird sanitized version of themselves. (Like some Communist propaganda about how peasants love toiling constantly day and night for Mother Russia or whatever.)

Book Review: "The Lazarus Project" by Aleksander Hemon

The Lazarus Project is part fiction, part nonfiction, a dash of violence, and a sprinkle of lies that we tell ourselves for unexpected reasons. Knead with anti-immigration, season with a ridiculous amount of relevance, bake until done.

(PS There is also a movie with Paul Walker with the same name. The movie is not based on the book. It got 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's my warning. Do with it what you will).

In 1908 a teenager knocked on the door of the house of the Chicago's Chief of Police. We don't know what Lazarus' intentions were but it ended with the Chief shooting him multiple times, fearing he was an anarchist assassin. Though there was no evidence that pointed to that conclusion. (Paranoia about immigrants? Police violence against unarmed persons? We've come a long way....not really.)

In current times, Brik is intrigued by Lazarus' story. Brik lives in Chicago, and is an Eastern European immigrant himself. He's a writer married to an American woman; having one foot in his current country and one in his old. At a Bosnian independence day party he is reunited with a childhood friends named Rora. To put it simply, Rora is super super shady, since like the 4th grade. Brik gets a grant to go back to Europe to research Lazarus for a book he's writing and he asks Rora to accompany him. Here's a hint - very little research gets done but lots of other less savory things happen.

This book flashes back and forth from Brik and Rora's European adventure and the aftermath of Lazarus' shooting. Lazarus' sister is left to wonder why he was at that house, since she can't believe that he could ever be an assassin. Birk spends his time in Europe contemplating his life in Bosnia, his tension filled marriage, and a lot of narrow scrapes with Rora.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. I was looking forward to finding out more about Lazarus and that didn't happen. But I liked the Eastern Europe setting, which had a similar feel as "Girl at War". I don't know. It's kind of  meh. 2.5 stars? Interesting cover though!

Book review: "A Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks

I have a conflicted track record with Ms Brooks. I did not like "March" (you now, that she won a major award for) but I did like "People of the Book". So I appreciate that when I pick up one of her books I never know if it's going to be a hit or a miss. Though I always appreciate that she writes on such a wide variety of times and places. You're going to get something different from her every time and I like her range.

So I picked up this book because it's about the plague. Whenever the 4 hour special on the plague is on the History channel I just understand that the next 4 hours of my life are gone in front of the telly. So, this was in my wheelhouse.

It basically is set in a tiny town in the sticks of England in 1666 and how the people of the village when the plague sweeps into their town. Our main character is Anna, a woman who had a crummy childhood but then makes a tidy, nice life for herself...at least for a little while. Despite suffering a lot herself, she becomes a source of strength in the village, but there are people, especially from her past who are not content to let the past go...or not be terrible people. Because at least two of these people were terrible before the plague came through.

Here is my qualm with the book: at the very end of the book there is a big plot twist that involves  (what I would call) a rather large personality twist that I didn't find believable. Everyone in the book suffers a lot because, you know, plague, and that would account for a lot of personality changes but this one I just didn't buy.

Despite the weird plot twist that I just talked about at the end of the book, this was a hit for me. So Ms Brooks is batting over 500 with me, I'm sure she will rest easier at night knowing this :) .  3.5 out of 5 for me!

Book Review: "I'm So Happy For You (Sort of Not Really) : Finding Contentment in the Culture of Comparison" by Kay Wills Wyma

1 sentence review: This book isn't really hoeing any new territory,  but it's all good reminders.

The best thing that this book did was be the impetus for an interesting conversation between myself and some friends about why people put what things up on the internet. We decided that while, of course, there are going to be people putting up pictures just because they are braggy mcbraggerpantses and want compliments, that isn't going to be the majority. We put up pictures of the exciting exotic things that happen in our lives because those (probably rare) moments have helped us escape our doldrums, and maybe it will help other people escape it too.

So I just got back from Mexico. I didn't put up too many pictures because I didn't want to be the braggy looking a-hole. But you would have rather have seen pictures of waving palm trees and huge waves then pictures of me hauling my behind out of bed to go into work early and then staying late every day for nearly two weeks because of my no vacation time yet, right (#newjobproblems, #firstworldproblems). We put up the pictures of the Christmas cookies that turned out perfectly because everyone has experienced the "burned to a crisp, these don't remotely look edible" cookies that are also currently in the kitchen (but in the trash).

In short, we put up the rare exciting things because everyone has the crappy boring things.

Though if I write this post on a day where I'm in a slightly less optimistic mood this post could easily turn into something less forgiving haha.


Anyway, this book.


It obviously doesn't have any magical answers to problems about being discontent. But it is heartening to know that this is a common struggle for many people.

Kay suggests trying to be genuinely happy for the person who can't stop talking about how gifted their kid is, or how nice their new car is. I think that that is a thing that will take an extreme amount of practice, but it seems worth trying, yes? (Or you can do what I do when Im super cranky about people having nicer things then me, comfort myself by thinking they're probably up to their ears in credit card debt. That's super nice of me, huh?)

She also talks about how when we compare, it sucks a little joy out of ourselves. So let's say I enjoy playing volleyball, I'm not the best at it but  I have fun doing it and it brings me joy. But then I see someone else, and they, like played volleyball in college and they look good in the short shorts and so on and so on. Suddenly I'm super conscious that I'm not as good as that other person and that takes some of my enjoyment out of volleyball. Comparison is the thief of joy.

This book really is summed up by every one of those little cliche phrases. They might be cliche but they are true.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

Graphic Novel Review: "The Bad Doctor - The Troubled Life and Times of Dr Iwan James" by Ian Williams

A short review of a graphic novel today.

Everyone be surprised, all of the illustrations are just black and white and very unflashy, just how I like them.

Dr James is a general practitioner in Wales. He sees all variety of things and people come through his door, and like I imagine it does to all doctors, sometimes he absorbs other people's problems and it stresses him out. His marriage is fine (but that's about it) and he finds joy on his long cycling trips through the country with his buddy.

However, Dr Williams has had a certain medical condition that has weighed on him immensely since he was a very little boy. And Im not going to tell you what it is because that would be a spoiler. But I will say that it's stressful and it can effect what kind of a doctor he is at times. And here's a nonspoiler spoiler for you, he isn't a bad doctor.

I like this graphic novel because it's just about a bunch of every day humans with every day struggles and was reflective of a lot of people's lives. 3 out of 5 stars!

Book Review: "Becoming George Washington" by Stephen Yochs

George Washington, action hero . . .

Long before Washington was the old man on the dollar bill, he was a fatherless boy with few resources and even less education. So how did he become the most famous person in American history?

Becoming George Washington tells the story of a young man with boundless energy, bravery, and passion, who grew from a fatherless boy into a self-confident leader. At the same time, he struggled to suppress both an awful temper and his love for a married woman, Sally Fairfax. A courageous war hero, Washington rose to the pinnacle of Virginia politics. His experiences as a young man allowed him, decades later, to lead the Revolution.

This compelling historical novel reveals the person behind the famous face and how he grew to become America’s leading Founding Father.

I want to put this out there right at the get-go, this isn't an origin story of the "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer" variety. It's about real George Washington and what he really did in the years before he before he became our nation's first president. It's kind of interesting, because I never really thought about any other version of George Washington besides the presidential one. (Though there is this one YouTube video that got a lot of play in our apartment senior year in college...) Anyway....

George Washington was not a rich kid from a rich family. You know gentlemen farmers? He wasn't that, he was an actual farmer. His mother was um, a negative, imposing, unmovable force in his life. His dad was dead. But he had two older brothers - Austin and Lawrence (he was especially close with Lawrence) and a close, well-connected family friend who loved and supported him like he was one of his own children. Through lots of hard work and perseverance George gained success as a surveyor, and then later as a military man.

The talks about is treks from Virginia to Ohio sound treacherous and awful and dangerous and cold...which it was all of those things. And that doesn't even begin to cover angry Native Americans and Frenchmen. But through all of these trials, George earns his stripes. Even though he is plagued by self doubt and self consciousness about his humble beginnings and his homely appearance. (It's also kind of funny because he goes through all of this stuff and moves through the ranks and it's like "oh yeah he's only 22...because people died by 45...kind of a lot.")

One thing that happened to George (and a lot of other people) that I thought was kind of sad was that you work and fight for the Crown for years and then when American begins to struggle for her independence you could find yourself on the opposite side of the battlefield as men that you may have served with previously.

This book moved at a pretty steady clip, and if you are interested in: George Washington, early America, Virginia, or the like I think you will like this book!

About the Author

Steve doesn’t golf or fish and is a below average hunter, but his love of history and writing compelled him to pick up his pen and tell the little-known stories behind the men that made American history. After years of extensive research, Steve wrote his first book on young George Washington.

Steve lives in a suburb north of St. Paul, Minnesota with his supportive wife and two fantastic teenage sons. He graduated with honors from Boston College and the University of Minnesota Law School. He has enjoyed over two decades of practicing law in the Twin Cities, helping individuals and businesses solve complex problems.

Book Review: "The Gap of Time" by Jeanette Winterson

I was kind of ready to not like this book. Some people who had reviewed it said that it was complex and it is based on one of Shakespeare's less famous or performed plays. But I gave it a shot. I had a lot of feelings about it, but none of them were all bad. And if you're not a Shakespeare fan, don't worry you can still read this book. The names are weird and based on Shakespeare, but I know you can handle that, right? I am a Shakespeare fan, but I have to admit that this isn't one I was familiar with.

The plot has a lot of twists and turns and a lot of the same themes that Shakespeare uses in a lot of his plays. Here's a taste of what you're in for:

-INSANELY jealous men who are craptastic to the women in their lives
-sweet, young love
-a kind of shifty but loveable scamp of a jester/kind of bad guy
- mistaken identity

Surprisingly no cross dressing in this one. That's another Shakespeare theme he uses a looooot.

Here were two quotes that I liked:

(upon the birth of a baby) "With no skills and no training, no college diploma or science dollars, we had made a human being. What is this crazy reckless world where we can make human beings?"

"What is memory but a rope slung across time?" (I can totally see that one being a tattoo)

This book was better than I was expecting, and I will be looking into other books that this author has written. However I don't think I will race them to the very top of my TBR. I give this book a 3.5 stars.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review by Blogging for Books

Book Review: "The Witch of Lime Street: Seance, Seduction and Houdini in the Spirit World" by David Jaher

-I know I said I was off this week but I forgot that I had this scheduled and I was too lazy to rearrange things to make it fit somewhere else. Now I'm really done. Happy Thanksgiving!_

Confession time. Does anyone watch Drunk History? When that show is good, it's sooo good. Though they have had some lame-o episodes. There was an episode where they talk about Houdini  and Arthur Conan O'Doyle and it made me laugh an unholy amount. Here's the link, there's probably swearing, so ear buds on if you're at work. Anyway, that episode is the reason that I picked up this book. I wish I had a reason that made me sound smarter but that would be a lie so here we are :)

When Houdini wasn't being the Houdini that we all know him for, he spent a borderline lot of time trying to discredit spiritualists, mediums and the like. This caused a huge amount of strain between him and his friend, Sherlock Holmes' creator Arthur Conan O'Doyle.  The tests that these tricksters were put through were rigorous and usually pretty invasive for the women? (Are you hiding something inside of your body to make noise or light or something? We are going to need to check.) Though most of the people are debunked with relative ease the titular "witch of Lime street" sessions got downright creepy AND violent.

 I thought there were 2 really compelling things about this book:

1) Learning about Houdini himself. I knew a little bit about Houdini because Wisconsin takes a little claim on him from his time in Appleton but learning about the man himself and what made him tick was really interesting.

2) It was so sad to hear about all of the lives lost in WWI and the family members who were left behind trying to reach them "in the great beyond". Especially the parents whose children were missing in action and couldn't know if they were.

This book was interesting, well researched, and full of interesting characters but it was just.so.long. If it was about 100 pages less it would be a 3, but as it stands it's like a 2.5.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books

Book Review: "A Year of Living Prayerfully: How a Curious Traveler Met the Pope, Walked on Coals, Danced with Rabbis and Revived his Prayer Life" by Jared Brock

Jared Brock is not a good pray-er. He knows this. He knows it's a problem. So he hangs out with Jews, Catholics, Greek Orthodox (s?), nudists, Westboro Baptist Church members (which is worse than you are probably picturing, it was for me at least!), and more to get their perspectives on prayer. We're not going to talk about them all, of course.

Did you know that Pyongyang in (what is now) North Korea used to be a huge center of Protestant Christianity in the 30s and 40s? Billy Graham's wife grew up in Pyongyang, her parents were medical missionaries. After the Korean War things changed as the political power shifted. Christians were sought out and executed, or if they were lucky driven underground. Obviously now the situation is even worse for Christians there.

He spends time at a Greek Orthodox monastery high in the mountains of Greece (that apparently Prince Charles also visits). Here he talks about the 5 word prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me, a sinner." (The monk explains that it's only 5 words in Greek, haha). He said that he prays it several times a day, especially while doing monotonous manual labor. Breathes in "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God"- Breathes out "Have mercy on me a sinner". I think I'm going to start doing that in my yoga classes. A good way to concentrate on something good and keep your mind from wandering.

He walks over coals after a multi-hour "church service" (Wesley editorializing a little bit there) led by Tim Robbins. I don't understand what walking over coals has to do with God, or at least the Christian God. Jared seemed equally confused by the whole thing.

The book had a lot of bolded quotes interspersed in the chapters, here is one I liked the best:
"You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him".

I'm going to be honest, there's a few things that bugged me about this book. They aren't deal breakers by any means but they struck me as odd.

1)He makes beard jokes at every opportunity. Like, I don't know if you're familiar with this guy before reading this book and he has a thing about beards and I just don't get it? But anywhere there are constant jokes and comments on people's beards. It was weird. Like, okay you think beards are really noteworthy and funny you can stop.

2)His picture appears 15 times on or in this book. This doesn't include the author picture on that back of the book jacket or the pictures that document his trip. A lot of the pictures are him in the dress of the people that he talks about in the chapter. So the chapter where they are in Rome, there's a goofy picture of him dressed as a cardinal at the top of the chapter. I felt like it was at best: weird, at worst: offensive.

Overall I give it a 3.2 stars out of 5.

Book review: "Dessert & Booze Hacks" by Peggy Wang

Between the title of this book and the fact that it's author is a founding editor of Buzzfeed, you basically know all it is you need to know about this book. That and it's awesome. If you need some fun, creative ideas to get you through your family holidays, a tedious work meeting, or day dreaming about when summer will be back, then this is the book for you!

This handy, board-booky little "hack"book is full of good ideas (that could always lead to bad ideas, because, well, alcohol). I think of the 75 recipes in the book there was only one that I was like "nope, that's not happening" - carrot cake in a glass. One I found highly suspect - pink beer (?!) but all of the others sounded pretty delightful.They also have tips like "how to make watermelon more sweet" and "how to finish off that jar of nutella".

I think the first ones I will try would be: champagne jello shots (perfect for New Years!),Cool Whip Triple-Fudge Cookies (there is not a bad word in that title!) and Cake Batter Rice Krispies.

This book was totally fun silliness and I can't wait to start trying these fun things out with my friends and family!

Book Review- "Not on Fire but Burning" by Greg Hrbek

I have feelings about this book and I'm not sure what they exactly are. If you read this and feel similarly I'd love to hear from you!

Here's the goodreads summary, who summarize it better than I could have:

Twenty-year-old Skyler saw the incident out her window: Some sort of metalic object hovering over the Golden Gate Bridge just before it collapsed and a mushroom cloud lifted above the city. Like everyone, she ran, but she couldn't outrun the radiation, with her last thoughts being of her beloved baby brother, Dorian, safe in her distant family home.

Flash forward to a post-incident America, where the country has been broken up into territories and Muslims have been herded onto the old Indian reservations in the west, even though no one has determined who set off the explosion that destroyed San Francisco. Twelve-year old Dorian dreams about killing Muslims and about his sister—even though Dorian's parents insist Skyler never existed. Are they still shell-shocked, trying to put the past behind them . . . or is something more sinister going on?

Meanwhile, across the street, Dorian's neighbor adopts a Muslim orphan from the territories. It will set off a series of increasingly terrifying incidents that will lead to either tragedy or redemption for Dorian, as he struggles to prove that his sister existed—and was killed by a terrorist attack



When I heard about this book I knew immediately that this was something I needed to get my hands on. I...I was kind of disappointed. I loved the idea. And the characters were super relatable. And I sincerely hope that our future is not like the one that was portrayed, though I enjoyed seeing how it was portrayed in such a realistic way.

I wouldn't say this is a spoiler, but the book starts pretty "normally" formatted and linear (it jumps between characters and time periods but nothing strange) but then as the book goes on, especially closer to the very end the book stops being as linear. That made me sad. I don't generally need a book to be all tied up neatly and have all of my questions answered, but I like a little bit of a stronger finish then what this book offered me.

I'm honestly at a loss with this one. I like the idea and I liked the characters and the stories. I even liked the writing. But it kind of lost me at the end, at the bums me out. I will do what I always do when this happens with me and a book. Decide which ending I like best and go with that. Hooray! Problem solved. So Ill say 3.5 for most of it and then 2.5 for the ending.

Book Review: "The Love of Tzar and Techno: Stories" by Anthony Marra

I'm so incredibly mercurial about short story collections. I've had some that I just love and some that I'm incredibly so-so about. And I feel like there's no consistencies. The good news is that this collection, was a love.

(I apologize in advance, I seriously blanked on every name I tried to recall for this review).

Most of all of the stories take place in the USSR/Russia between 1940 and the 2000's. They focus on the same wide circle of people, but the stories never felt like they were forced. I think my two favorite people in the stories were the blind woman, and the former prima ballerina. My favorite story, might have actually been the very first one. Or I was just so excited because after getting through the first story I thought "yep, this will be good! I know I'll like this!".

Two most compelling things for me from the stories:

1. There's a woman who ends up leaving a small Russian town as a mail order bride and lives in Glendale California (for awhile). One of the very first things that this woman notices when she steps off the plane is the wheelchair ramps. She thinks that they are weird public art. Her husband tells her what they are and she feels a huge surge of pride and patriotism for this country who accommodates people who have these needs. It kind of makes you wonder what people with disabilities have to put up with and navigate in foreign countries.

2. From what I gathered from the stories I feel like there's not much of a safety net for those who need it. It's scary to think about how a lot of people are only one bad turn away from a life of real poverty and possible starvation. There's a lot of those types of people in this book.

If you learn nothing else from this book it's that you find out why you should NEVER EVER "like" Tom Hanks fan facebook page!

I give this book a solid 3.5 stars out of 5, and I'm pleased to have another good short story experience!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

Book Review: "A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII" by Sarah Helm

I've said this at least 10 times, I don't do well with spy novels. But, a nonfiction book that talks about spies? Sign me up buttercup.

There was all kinds of espionage going on during WWII (hello most obvious sentence that I will probably write this week). If you were with the British, you might have made contact with a woman named Vera Atkins. This woman was mysterious with a capital M. (But not *that* M, though he's in there too). She was the last person that many British spies saw as they loaded onto airplanes that would drop them into Nazi occupied France, or one of the other lowland countries.

Vera took her responsibilities so seriously, but she wasn't this, like super loving den mother type. She was empathetic and kind but never let anyone get too close to her, and didn't get too close to too many people. To some she was even loving, but to others she was frosty and disapproving. This didn't always serve her well. The people that she was most concerned about was the young lady spies who she sent to the continent to serve.

During the war some spies were captured, or didn't make contact or any other number of other things; and lost contact with their handlers. When the war ended, Vera made it her mission to find these spies. (I was like, uh duh, of course someone has to go find out what happened to them. But she got a surprisingly lot of push back from the upper ups. They initially gave her 3 months to find something like 15 people in super chaotic post war Europe.There was some serious a*holeness going on around there though, as governments usually do.) The good news is that she found out what happened to all of them. The bad news is, there were almost no happy endings. But there were tales of bravery, courage, selflessness and honor under the worst circumstances imaginable. God bless those men and women for their incredible, astounding bravery.

Here are the cons: the book is a little tough sometimes (spoiler: one of the girls may have gotten put into a furnace alive), and there are SO many names to remember. It's a big cast of characters, and then since their spies they all have like, 4 names a piece and that gets to be a lot.

I wrestled with my rating, but I'm going to put it at a 3.5. If you have an interest in spies, World War II, mysterious women and bravery get thee to the library or indie bookseller in your area and pick this up!

Graphic Novel Review: "Pyongyang: A Journey into North Korea" by Guy Delisle

 It's graphic novel review time!

So, North Korea. I think that if we knew one half of the things that are happening in North Korea we would be terrified. The information that trickles out already is horrible. Anyway, this graphic novel is the story of our author, a French cartoonist/illustrator who has the oppurtonity to go to North Korea for a short time and work on some of their films. (There's a whole interesting thing about how North Korea has this whole film industry that I didn't really expect it to have.)

His hotel room has power for less than half the time. All the foreigners are put on one floor of the hotel. He's never without a "guide" (aka state sponsored babysitter). He sees people "volunteering" to toil in fields or fix roads on the days that they aren't at their actual jobs.  He tries to find out if his handlers truly believe that they live in the best country in the world and that the rest of the world quakes in fear at North Korea's name; or if they look so convinced so they and their families don't disappear in the middle of the night.

(Did you know that during a famine that killed at least (that we know of) 1 million North Koreans,North Korea was the biggest importer of Hennessy? It's not a strong enough word, but when I was reading this book and thinking about the Kims (Dad and Junior) I kept thinking - "What douches. For real. Kings of the Douches.)

One thing that Guy mentioned really stuck with me. He said he never saw one handicapped person the whole time he was in North Korea. He was there for at least a month. Can you imagine going for a month without seeing a person with any kind of handicap or disability? And you know it's not because, like, North Korea has cured all of these terrible diseases, or figured out how to unparalyze people, or whatever and isn't sharing it with the world. That gave me goosebumpy chills. It still is, if I'm honest.


This was such an interesting read. I learned so much and was made even more curious about what happens over there that we don't know. I also liked the approachable and not weird drawing style, as per the usual.
4 stars out of 5!

 

Book review: "Black Earth" by Tim Snyder

I've never struggled so much to write a book review about a book that was so incredibly worth while and informative to read.

Tim Snyder's "Black Earth" is a slow read because there are so many things to take in. I feel like I read a higher than average amount of WWII nonfiction books and every chapter presented me with something I had never heard before, or situations that I had never thought about. I highlighted so much in my Kindle that this is going to be a weird, disjointed review as I try to share all the facts with you. Also, word of advice, if you can read this in book form. ESPECIALLY if you're of the note taking variety. I would have gotten out a highlighter for this book which is a real rarity for me.

I learned an incredible amount of Poland, which makes me want to go there even more than I already did before. (Facts: there were ten times as many Jews in Poland as there were in Germany at the start of WWII."Jews paid more than a third of the taxes in Poland, and firms owned by Jews were responsible for about half of the foreign trade".)

There was this insane plan about rounding up all of the Jews in Europe and settling them all in Madagascar. And then Hitler just decided to kill everyone instead. But it became this like, inside joke/euphemism to the higher ups about sending people to concentration camps as "sending them to Madagascar". Hitler never let logistics or feasability get in the way of his insane plans and this one was no different.

I also thought this insight was incredibly interesting, nothing went quite as the Nazi's planned: "The western allies were supposed to defend Czechoslovakia but did not; Poland was not supposed to fight but it did; France was supposed to fight longer than it did; Britain was supposed to see the logic of peace if France fell but did not".

Find out what country switched sides towards the end of the war, what army Hitler tried to get on his side, and which country lost the most Jews (even though the Jewish population was very low to being with) and more in this insightful book.

It is a long read, I'm not going to lie to you. It's not something you'll pick up and read in two days (unless you are like, the Superman of reading.) It took me and at least a few others I know, maybe 2 months to get through the whole thing. It's an investment, but one I really recommend you make. 4 stars out of 5!

I got this book in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books

Book review: "Resilient" by Sheridan Voysey

So, back in August I saw something interesting in my twitter feed from Sheridan Voysey. If you don’t know Sheridan, he’s a Christian author, from Australia though now living in England. I first came to know Sheridan through his book “Resurrection Year: Turning Broken Dreams into New Beginnings.” It’s about how he and his wife had this great dream to have children and that it just didn’t happen. Through infertility treatments and an incredibly long wait on an adoption list they decided that maybe this wasn’t what God had intended for them. Resurrection Year talks about their struggle, their acceptance, their lives together and their move to England. I liked Sheridan’s open and honest writing style so when I saw that he was writing a new book and that he was looking for people for a launch team for his latest book “Resilient” I raised my hand and said “pick me, pick me!”. (I actually just filled out a form.)

         
The book is made up of short little bites, usually no more than a very few pages long. They each start with a Bible passage, and end with a questions and different Bible passage. Each chapter focuses on something different, so it doesn’t necessarily need to be read chronologically. Sheridan suggested that it might work well for a short devotional, and I think he’s right. (I’m notoriously bad with devotionals though. My parents gave me a yearlong devotional based on CS Lewis’ writings and I just sat down and read it straight through!) I read it just chronologically in a few sittings. It will work either ways!

The book’s central theme is Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes. Even if you aren’t religious you’ve probably heard these:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

When reading and taking notes for this review I wrote down a lot of quotes. I’ll try to only pick a few and talk about those!

“Love God. Love others. The rest are details”. Boom. Sounds easy. Not easy. It’s easy to love our friends and family. What about others? Axe murderers, people who rant on Facebook or that coworker who horks their snot instead of blowing their nose… (Also on a side note, some “details” are very important. But let’s start with love, and then get to the details).

There is a section on being single and the pressure that some people might feel that they have “failed” in not being married. (Side note, I have -and I’m sure you do to- single friends who are hilarious and smart and in all ways awesome and in no ways failures. But they might have dark days when reminders are needed). “Singleness is not some valley to be endured until the pinnacle of marriage. Singleness can be a calling, a gift, and a powerful witness to the LORD”. 

One thing that I struggle with, and I think others do too, is when you’re on the verge of a big decision and you think “What if I decide to do this and it ruins my life?” A big move, a new job, a life choice whatever it is this can be a scary thought. I find this quote super comforting “If we love him, God can work even a poor choice into the tapestry of our lives”.

There was one quote that I highlighted that I would have liked Sheridan to expand on. “Are you focusing on being good then letting Jesus change you?”

I enjoyed this book. This book is like a reassuring pat on the back from a good friend. Like “hey, sometimes things are hard. And I can’t guarantee everything is going to go the way you want it too. But Jesus loves you and thinks you’re worth sacrificing his most precious Son for your salvation. You can do this!” And this book can help.




*There's also a special offer on the website. by November 1st and you get THREE bonuses. Click here for more info!*

Book review: "Port of No Return" by Michelle Saftich (Italy Tours)

"Port of No Return" focuses on Contessa and Ettore Saforo and their (growing) family. They live in occupied Italy, Ettore forces to work for the Germans in the port and Contessa doing her best to feed, cloth, and keep safe her family in an unsettled city with dwindling supplies. Tragedy strikes and they are forces from their beloved Fiume and into the life of refugees.



There is political conflict galore, tales of compassion, great escapes, true love,kittens and Australia all neatly packed into stories that are woven together through the stories of the Saforo family and the other families that they meet on their journey. It's a lot of dramatic events in a pretty small book!

On a sad note, this book is also incredibly timely. The biggest refugee crisis since WWII is happening in Europe right now. You've probably seen the news and pictures on the news or on your social media. It's  a good reminder that all of these people who need homes are not numbers or nuisances but people and families who have suffered greatly and need help.


WWII is a pretty popular background for books, but this book felt pretty unique. First, it was set in Italy (German occupied), and it didn't focus on the war and soldiers so much as the people that were left behind. Also, the Yugoslavian connection was something that I had never read about before in fiction. I've just recently became acquainted with some of Yugoslavia's super turbulent history and the blight on their country: Tito. After the war everything was just such chaos you feel like it was a miracle that separated families ever found each other again.I give it a 3.5 stars out of 5!

Author's Bio:

Michelle Saftich is a first-time author who resides in Brisbane, Australia.  She holds a Bachelor of Business/Communications Degree, majoring in journalism, from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

For the past 20 years, she has worked in communications, including print journalism, sub-editing, communications management and media relations. She is married with two children.

Book Review: "Boy Meets Depression: Or Life Suck and Then You Live" by Kevin Breel and a pre-announcement announcement!

~Before we get started on the book review today, I just wanted to let you know there will be a big announcement on the blog on Monday! It will involve books! That's your clue :)~

I picked this book somewhat at random from Blogging for Books. The author did an incredibly popular Ted-talk (and this is me admitting again that I haven't seen any.) Anyway, considering I ended up with this book almost on accident, I'm very glad I got this book.


Kevin lives in Victoria, BC, Canada in an un-ideal home situation. His dad is a drunk, mostly spending his time in the basement drinking and being quiet. His mom is supportive and kind, but it's still a strained household.


Kevin is self conscious and quiet. He comes into his own as an 8th grader where he makes a true, dear friend. It brings him out of his shell and feels like he's part of a more "normal" family.
 However, tragedy strikes and it puts the already vulnerable Kevin in a deep depression.


What makes this book so great is how honest Kevin is. He goes into good descriptions about how it feels to be depressed, the confusion he feels, the loneliness he feels. I'm trying to think of a good description of his writing style: it's not a "woe is me", it's empathy but it's also not coddling. I like the "notes to self" pages between chapters. Some of those are even funny!


I think this book could be a great resource for those who have people in their life that deal with depression or sadness and don't really know how to support them, or understand what they are going through. Kevin admits that he sometimes still struggles to be a good friend, and that the people who care enough to stick around are incredibly dear to him. So just show up!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books

Book Review: "Taming the To-Do List" by Glynnis Whitwer

This book isn’t full of the usual practical advice on how to “tame” your to-do list; like “break big tasks into smaller ones to make them more manageable” or “don’t be afraid to ask for help!” There is some advice of that variety towards the end, but the book tries to focus in on what gets us into “to-do list overload” in the first place.

Our author, Glynnis, takes a long hard look at what has led to her overwhelming to-so lists. Its multiple parted:

-Pride. She admits that she likes the feeling when people says things like “Oh my gosh, you get so much done, I just don’t know how you do it!” What they don’t realize is what expense that it comes at.

- Procrastination. Putting things off until the last minute makes for hurried, subpar work, and STRESS.

-Being scared. She talked about how being scared kept her from asking for help on a group project and how it held things up for everybody.

The author is a Christian, so she does a lot of soul searching to see what leads her down these roads and what she can do to prevent the overload in the first place.

A section that I think will resonate with a lot of people is not comparing your best to other's people's best:

My makeup applying job will never be as good as my sister's. But on my best days I don't look like either a) a corpse or b) a painted harlot from a Western.

My cooking will never be as good as some of my talented foodie friends. But I make a really good (and stupidly easy) tortilla soup.

Your best and my best are different. And that is okay! Whoever said "comparison is the thief of joy" is right on.

If you're expecting a book full of practical time management tips you will be disappointed. If you're looking to get more at the base of your busyness problems and make good, longer lasting change in your life, this book might be for you!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review