Purchased – Page 57 – Carol's Notebook

American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Victoria Johnson

August 16, 2018August 15, 2018 by Carol5 Comments

I have to thank Katie at Doing Dewey and her Nonfiction Reading Challenge for encouraging me to read more non-fiction this year. This is the 9th non-fiction book I've read this year, which is the most since Amber was little and I'd read aloud to her. We used to read a lot of animal, science, and history books but, in general, I don't tend to pick them up on my own, so it's been nice to do a bit of learning with my reading lately. American Eden is the story of David Hosack (August 31, 1769 – December 22, 1835), a botanist and doctor in New York City in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. I admit, I was drawn to the book at first because he was the doctor at the duel between Hamilton and Burr. (I have not seen Hamilton the musical yet, but it's coming to Pittsburgh in January if anyone wants to buy me tickets.) Turns out he...

A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell

August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell shows up on several "best mysteries" lists, which is why I added it to my to-read list. I had read several of her Inspector Wexford series, but none of her stand-alone novels. And then it was my Classic Club Spin book for the month, which pushed it to the top of my stack. From the opening sentences, the book had my attention. "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write. There was no real motive and no premeditation; no money was gained and no security." We know from the first chapter, which is only two pages long, who was killed, when they were killed, and who the murderers were. The rest of the book relates what led up to the crime and the aftermath. Eunice Parchman is illiterate, a fact that she is desperate to keep secret. The Coverdales are a decent enough family, intelligent, a little snobby, but overall well-meaning....

Mystery! edited by Chantelle Aimée Osman

August 7, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

The Origins Game Fair in Columbus is something we like to do every year, but this year we didn't make it due to my new job. I did have a friend who was nice enough to pick up this year's anthology - with the Mystery theme, I didn't want to miss is. He also got several of the writers to autograph it. Mystery!, like most anthologies, is a bit uneven. Some stories were excellent, some fine, and one didn't fit at all. There were 14 stories in all, but I'll only mention a few that struck me. "The Abomination of Fensmere" by Lucy A. Snyder was the first story in the collection, but it felt more horror with a Lovecraftian bent than mystery. I don't think it was the best way to start. Timothy Zahn's "(Ms.) Taken Identity" was good, both the mystery plot and the world he created where doppels are people who can look like anyone they want, until they're dead, then they...

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan

July 25, 2018July 24, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

I was actually at Lakeside Chautauqua on Lake Erie for a week earlier this summer. I've lived in Ohio most of my life and even if we don't go up to Lake Erie often, it's still part of our state identity, if that makes sense, which is why The Death and Life of the Great Lakes caught my attention. It's an interesting book and an easy read, even for a non-history, non-science girl like me. We all know that humans affect the environment, but found it really interesting how a lot of the problems the lakes experience now can really be traced back to the 1800s when the lakes were first opened to the Atlantic Ocean and the Chicago River and onto the Mississippi. Egan does a wonderful job of combining history and science in relating all the lakes have been through and why. He also includes individual's stories, about what the lake was like when they were young versus today,...

A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa

July 20, 2018July 19, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

A River in Darkness is a heart-breaking story. Ishikawa went form a childhood in Japan where he didn't fit in because he was half-Korean to North Korea where he was one of the lowest of the low. He tells his story frankly, without sentimentality, but it's full of misery, hunger, desperation. He tells of living conditions that I can't even imagine. I knew North Korea is not a good country, but we don't get to see this side of it often. We don't see how the people live, and die. We know that life in the totalitarian regime is tough, but Ishikawa let's us see the brainwashing, the untenable choices that have to be made. The corruption and domination affect every aspect of life. A River in Darkness was way out of my comfort zone, but I am definitely glad I picked it up. I got sucked into Ishikawa's story. I wish it had a happy ending, though. He does escape...

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

July 19, 2018July 18, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

I read Artificial Condition right after I finished the first Murderbot story, All Systems Red. Now I'm anxiously waiting for #3, which comes out in August. They're short, so definitely read #1 before Artificial Condition. It'll give you the background you need on who Murderbot is, how it's free from its governor module, and how almost human it is. Once again, I like Murderbot. It's funny and snarky. This time around it's searching for the truth of what happened in its past and comes upon a helpful transport AI that likes entertainment feeds as much as Murderbot, so it helps out in many ways, including performing surgery on Murderbot to make it seem human. It's easier to maneuver through the universe if people think you're human, not a rogue killing machine. Murderbot needs to have a cover to get where it wants to go, so it signs up for employment as a bodyguard for researchers trying to recover some of their data from an...