Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

I read Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty for book club. The book description says, "Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned morbid curiosity into her life’s work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. By turns hilarious, dark, and uplifting, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes reveals how the fear of dying warps our society and 'will make you reconsider how our culture treats the dead' (San Francisco Chronicle)."

This was a really unique and enjoyable read. There were parts that were kind of disgusting or sad or whatnot, but it was also enlightening and fascinating and eye-opening. I learned about a topic I had really not given much thought to and found the book to be a fun listen. I think it'll be a fun book club discussion book, and it was also a fun one to read around Halloween time. I really liked the author's perspective and her opinion that death needs to be less hidden in our country and culture.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Murder Among Friends

I love Candace Fleming as an author, so when I saw her book Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime, I got it from the library. The book description says, "In 1924, eighteen-year-old college students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb made a decision: they would commit the perfect crime by kidnapping and murdering a child they both knew. But they made one crucial error: as they were disposing of the body of young Bobby Franks, whom they had bludgeoned to death, Nathan's eyeglasses fell from his jacket pocket. Multi-award-winning author Candace Fleming depicts every twist and turn of this harrowing case--how two wealthy, brilliant young men planned and committed what became known as the crime of the century, how they were caught, why they confessed, and how the renowned criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow enabled them to avoid the death penalty."

This was a pretty engaging book and of course, well written, like all of Candace Fleming's books. But I think just the content of this book was kind of upsetting, so the vibe just wasn't one I completely enjoyed. The boys were just so messed up that it was kind of disturbing to read about. I feel like sometimes books like this are fascinating, but this one wasn't as much for me. I did think it was well-organized and well-researched. I liked the connections to what the killers would have been diagnosed with in today's world.

Rating: * (1/3) = It was okay

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

I read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King for book club. The book description says, "During a six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Trail, nine-year-old Trisha McFarland quickly tires of the constant bickering between her older brother and her recently divorced mother. But when she wanders off by herself, she becomes lost in a wilderness maze full of peril and terror. As night falls, Trisha has only her ingenuity as a defense against the elements, and only her courage and faith to withstand her mounting fears. For solace she tunes her headphones to broadcasts of Boston Red Sox baseball games and follows the gritty performances of her hero, relief pitcher Tom Gordon. And when the reception begins to fade, Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is with her—the protector from an enemy who may or may not be imagined…one who is watching her, waiting for her in the dense, dark woods…"

This was a fun read. I don't really read Stephen King type books, and luckily this one was pretty mild. I enjoyed the young girl main character and following her scary journey to try to get rescued. The book felt scary in that it could really happen, and that was disturbing. But it was an engaging story and the baseball storyline throughout was fun.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Boys of Riverside

I got The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller on audiobook from the library after seeing it advertised somewhere. The book description says, "In November 2021, an obscure email from the California Department of Education landed in New York Times reporter, Thomas Fuller’s, inbox. The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, was having an undefeated season. After years of covering war, wildfires, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story of this group of high school boys. It was uplifting. During the gloom of the pandemic, it was a happy story. It was a sports story but not an ordinary one, built on the chemistry between a group of underestimated boys and their superhero advocate coach, Keith Adams, a deaf former athlete himself. The team, and Adams, tackled the many stereotypes and seemed to be succeeding. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus. The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history. It follows the personal journeys of their dynamic deaf head coach, and a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father’s car in the Target parking lot. It tells the story of a fiercely committed player who literally played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, as well as myriad other heart-wrenching and uplifting narratives of players who found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, inspiring camaraderie, and deafness in America."

I LOVED this book! I was engaged from start to finish. I just loved the premise of the book, probably partially because I took ASL as my language in high school and college and have some background knowledge about Deaf culture. I loved hearing the stories about the coaches and players and how they rose up even when people underestimated them. And since I also enjoy watching football, it was fun to follow the descriptions of the games. This was an inspiring and enjoyable read. Definitely would recommend it to others.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

A Perfect Mistake

I saw A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin on the Virginia Readers' Choice list for this year for middle school books. The book description says, "Max wishes he could go back in time to before he was diagnosed with ADHD, before he grew to be the tallest kid in his class, and before he and his best friends went into the woods in the middle of the night. Max doesn’t remember what happened after he left his friends Will and Joey and the older kids who took them there. He’s not sure if he wants to remember. Knowing isn’t going to make Joey talk to him again, or bring Will out of his coma. When the local authorities run out of leads, Max realizes that without his help, they may never know what really happened to Will. Charged by the idea that he may be the key to uncovering the truth, Max pairs up with classmate and aspiring journalist Sam to investigate what really happened that night. But not everyone in the community wants that night to be remembered."

This was definitely an engaging story that I wanted to keep reading to see what really happened, but the book was also really hard for me to read because Max really just needed to talk to adults about things he knew. I spent a lot of the book frustrated and just trying to keep reading to see if he'd just get help. Also, the ending didn't really seem super realistic (like some people lied and did bad stuff and it didn't seem like anyone really got in much trouble--just some plot gaps it felt like). I did really like Max's uncle Cal as a character and Max's relationship with his therapist, and I thought the book did a great job helping the reader understand ADHD.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

Braiding Sweetgrass

I read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer for a book club. The book description says, "Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings―asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass―offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return."

This was one of those books that I would have never picked up if it weren't for book club. And even when I started it, I don't think I really knew what to expect. I thought it was going to be primarily a factual book when really it turned out to be a beautifully written memoir of sorts, with facts and lessons woven throughout. I listened to the book on audiobook, and I'm so glad it was read by the author because I think it just captured the beauty of the writing. There were times that I was just like, Wow. Other parts of the book bored me a little bit (long section on the deep science of lichen and things like that), but overall the book really opened my eyes and was thought-provoking. I left pondering my relationship with the earth and reflecting on the wisdom of the indigenous people that is really missing in our world today. I loved the author's wide knowledge -- that she was well educated in the scientific field but also had this important background of being Anishinabekwe. Really, this was a beautiful book, and I almost wish I didn't read it on audio because I was often driving and couldn't write down or mark the parts that really stuck out to me. It was a long book, so I don't know if I really want to re-read it, but I am actually tempted.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

There was one section I remembered particularly liking (about motherhood), so I got a hard copy of the book to mark some of the quotes to share at book club. So I'll record them here:

• So it is my grandchildren who will swim in this pond, and others whom the years will bring. The circle of care grows larger and caregiving for my little pond spills over to caregiving for other waters. The outlet from my pond runs downhill to my good neighbor's pond. What I do here matters. Everybody lives downstream. My pond drains to the brook, to the creek, to a great and needful lake. The water net connects us all. I have shed tears into that flow when I thought that motherhood would end. But the pond has shown me that being a good mother doesn't end with creating a home where just my children can flourish. A good mother grows into a richly eutrophic old woman, knowing that her work doesn't end until she creates a home where all of life's beings can flourish. There are grandchildren to nurture, and frog children, nestlings, goslings, seedlings and spores, and I still want to be a good mother.
• 
  
• The earth, that first among good mothers, gives us the gift that we cannot provide ourselves. I hadn't realized that I had come to the lake and said feed me, but my empty heart was fed. I had a good mother. She gives what we need without being asked. I wonder if she gets tired, old Mother Earth. Or if she too is fed by the giving. "Thanks," I whispered, "for all of this."
• 
  
• We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their breath is in their movement, the in hale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back.

The Turtle of Oman

I've had The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye on my to-read list for awhile and recently got it on Kindle from the library. The book description says, "Aref does not want to leave Oman. He does not want to leave his elementary school, his friends, or his beloved grandfather, Sidi. He does not want to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his parents will go to graduate school. His mother is desperate for him to pack his suitcase—but he refuses. Finally, she calls Sidi for help. But rather than pack, Aref and Sidi go on a series of adventures. They visit the camp of a thousand stars deep in the desert, they sleep on Sidi’s roof, they fish in the Gulf of Oman and dream about going to India, they travel to the nature reserve to watch the sea turtles. At each stop, Sidi finds a small stone that he later slips into Aref’s suitcase—mementos of home."

This was a beautiful read. I don't even know what it was, but it was just a gentle, happy book that addressed the hard things Aref was facing by showing the love and wisdom of his grandfather. I felt like the book was just so beautifully written, and then I saw at the end that the author was a former Young People's Poet Laureate, which makes a lot of sense. I just loved Sidi (Aref's grandfather) and the adventures they went on and the things they experienced and commented on. I also loved the introduction it gave me to Oman and their culture. This was just such a unique read, and I can't quite put my finger on why. But I really liked it.

* * * (3/3 = Loved it)