The Shape of Thunder

When I recently finished a book by Jasmine Warga, I saw The Shape of Thunder listed as another book she'd written, so I got it from the library on Kindle. The book description says, "Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year. Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did. On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him. In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves."

This was a great read. The book switched back and forth between perspectives (which took me awhile to keep track of which name went with which character), but it was a good format for the story. I thought the author did a great job with character development and helping the reader know and understand each girl and what she was going through. I really felt for each of them. The book got me teary-eyed in the end, and I liked how things came together. It was definitely an engaging and meaningful story. It was close to a "loved it," but I'll leave it as "liked it."

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Whale Eyes

I saw Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen by James Robinson on a new book list and got it from the library. This book is about the author's experience with strabismus, an eye condition. The author created an Emmy-nominated short film by the same name, and this book is expanding on the same topic. The book is interactive (trying a vision test, for example), and the book description says, "James’s story equips readers of all ages with the tools to confront their discomfort with disability and turn confused, blank stares into powerful connections."

This was an interesting read. Right when I started the book, I decided to go watch the video he had made, and that really got me invested in his story. The book helped me understand how to respectfully approach interactions with someone who has strabismus or similar eye conditions (just look into the eye that is looking at you!), and it helped me understand what it would be like to grow up like he did. I liked following his journey into the documentary world and then watched a couple of the other memoir-style documentaries he created about people with disabilities on NYT (face blindness and stuttering). They were so great! Overall this was a good read but best for 10+ due to a spoiler about something my 8-year-old still believes in. :) I think kids will enjoy the pictures and interactive nature of the book.

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

The Wolves of K Street

I read The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government by Brody Mullins and Luke Mullins for book club. The book description says, "In the 1970s, Washington’s center of power began to shift away from elected officials in big marble buildings to a handful of savvy, handsomely paid operators who didn’t answer to any fixed constituency. The cigar-chomping son of an influential congressman, an illustrious political fixer with a weakness for modern art, a Watergate-era dirty trickster, the city’s favorite cocktail party host—these were the sort of men who now ran Washington. Over four decades, they’d chart new ways to turn their clients’ cash into political leverage, abandoning favor-trading in smoke-filled rooms for increasingly sophisticated tactics, such as “shadow lobbying,” where underground campaigns sparked seemingly organic public outcries to pressure lawmakers into taking actions that would ultimately benefit corporate interests rather than ordinary citizens. With billions of dollars at play, these lobbying dynasties enshrined in Washington a pro-business consensus that would guide the country’s political leaders—Democrats and Republicans alike. A good lobbyist could ghostwrite a bill or even secretly kill a piece of legislation supported by the president, both houses of Congress, and a majority of Americans. Yet nothing lasts forever. Amid a populist backlash to the soaring inequality these influence peddlers helped usher in, DC’s pro-business alliance suddenly began to fray. And while the lobbying establishment would continue to invent new ways to influence Washington, the men who’d built K Street would soon find themselves under legal scrutiny, on the verge of financial collapse or worse. One would turn up dead behind the eighteenth green of an exclusive golf club, with a $1,500 bottle of wine at his feed and bullet in his head."

This was the third super long book this book club picked in a row (after Warmth of Other Suns and Middlemarch), so I wasn't sure what I'd think of this. But I was so engaged in the book from the start. I was fascinated by the story and appalled by how much money influences decision-making in DC. I was disgusted by the greed of the lobbyists highlighted in the book. The book is one that I was just thinking about all the time and recommending to my husband and father-in-law. It was really fun to discuss at book club, especially because the host invited a friend from church who is a top lobbyist in DC so she could share her experiences in that position (not being a greedy maniac like the ones in the book). It was super fascinating to hear about her job and the differences of how she approaches things. Overall I'll say I liked (not loved) the book because there were times I was less interested or lost track of people or whatnot, but it was a great read that really opened my eyes to a lot of things (and made me realize I can't trust pretty much anything related to politics).

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

A Rover's Story

My sister recommended A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga. Even though she hasn't read it, she heard Jasmine Warga speak at a conference about this book, and I loved the author's book Other Words for Home. The book description says, "Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name. Res was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop humanlike feelings. Maybe there’s a problem with his programming…. Human emotions or not, launch day comes, and Res blasts off to Mars, accompanied by a friendly drone helicopter named Fly. But Res quickly discovers that Mars is a dangerous place filled with dust storms and giant cliffs. As he navigates Mars’s difficult landscape, Res is tested in ways that go beyond space exploration. As millions of people back on Earth follow his progress, will Res have the determination, courage, and resilience to succeed…and survive?"

This was a fun read. I enjoyed the perspective of Res (kinda similar to a book like The Wild Robot), and I liked how it switched off with letters from Sophie as well. I really liked the human characters (Rania and Xander) and their relationship with Res, and I also liked both Res and his drone Fly and their unique personalities.  I thought this was a fun book to follow the story as so much time passed.

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

These Silent Woods

I read These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant for book club. The book description says, "No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world. For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she’s starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her―and he’s still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there. The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred―and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch’s growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding―or finally face the sins of his past."

This book was SO GOOD! I was just about 1 chapter in when we got on a flight to go to Utah and then read it and finished it during the flight because it was so engaging. I loved the story and characters. At first I felt like there was no way for the book to end well, but I was pretty satisfied with the ending. I was pretty much sobbing by the end of the book and had to try to not be an embarrassment to my family haha. I really enjoyed this read.

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

The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon

I am a fan of Grace Lin, so I got her new book The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon from the library. The book description says, "Jin is a Stone Lion—one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.
What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world. But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him. Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything."

This book was surprisingly hard for me to get into. It just was a slow read for me that I kind of had to force myself to keep reading. Because I know Grace Lin's books were great, I didn't want to give up on it so kept plugging along. I got more into it by the last 2/3 of the book and then was interested to see how things would come together. I liked the main characters (Jin, Lulu, and Worm) and thought it was fun to have all the Chinese folklore guiding the book. I also really liked the illustrations. I do think this would be a fun read aloud with kids. 

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

Summer at Squee

I saw Summer at Squee by Andrea Wang recommended somewhere as a new-ish middle grade book and so got it on Kindle. The book description says, "Phoenny Fang plans to have the best summer ever. She’s returning to Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness, and Enrichment Experience (SCCWEE for short and 'Squee' to campers in the know), and this year she’s a senior camper. That means she; her best friend, Lyrica Chu; and her whole Squad will have the most influence. It almost doesn’t matter that her brother is a CIT (counselor-in-training) and that her mom and auntie are the camp directors. Time spent at Squee is sacred, glorious, and free. On the day Phoenny arrives, though, she learns that the Squad has been split up, and there’s an influx of new campers this year. Phoenny is determined to be welcoming and to share all the things she loves about camp—who doesn’t love spending hours talking about and engaging in cultural activities? But she quickly learns how out of touch she is with others’ experiences, particularly of the campers who are adoptees. The same things that make her feel connected to her culture and community make some of the other campers feel excluded. Summer at Squee turns out to be even more transformative than Phoenny could’ve imagined, with new friendships, her first crush, an epic show, and a bigger love for and understanding of her community."

This was a good read. I enjoyed Phee's character and her growth as a character. I liked learning about Chinese Culture through the Squee camp and getting a perspective of what it'd be like to be a Chinese-American child/teen. The book had lots of friendship issues the kids work through, which I think is good for middle grade readers to see and learn from.

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