What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

 

Title: What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

Author: Claire Jimenez

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

 
ISBN:  9781538725962

 

Thoughts: This story about a family searching for their lost member has some memorable moments, but it felt like it left a lot out.

 

Rating: 3/5

100 Steps with God Vol. 1

 

Title: 100 Steps with God Vol. 1

Author: Steve McDonald

Publisher: Walking in Step with God Ministries

 
ISBN:  n/a

 

Thoughts: Good book for short religious reflection.

 

Rating: 4/5

The Women

 

Title: The Women

Author: Kristin Hannah

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

 
ISBN:  9781250317957

 

Thoughts: Gripping and emotional portrayal of what Vietnam and the return home was like for the women serving.

 

Rating: 5/5

Winterhouse

 

Title: Winterhouse

Author: Ben Guterson

Publisher: Square Fish

 
ISBN:  9781250294197

 

Thoughts: Great blend of mystery, fantasy, and horror for MG readers with a smattering of real book recommendations thrown in.

 

Rating: 5/5

The Negro's Civil War

 

Title: The Negro's Civil War: How American Blacks Felt and Acted During the War for the Union

Author: James M. McPherson

Publisher: Vintage Books

 
ISBN:  9781400033904

 

Thoughts: I learned a lot about the Civil War from this book, but felt it had too many passages from primary sources and not enough synthesis of the works quoted.

 

Rating: 3/5

Still Life at Eighty

 

Title: Still Life at Eight: The Next Interesting Thing

Author: Abigail Thomas

Publisher: Golden Notebook Press

 
ISBN:  9780967554129

 

Thoughts: Memoir told in short vignettes that was very comforting, though I cannot pinpoint why.

 

Rating: 5/5

Again and Again

Title: Again and Again

Author: Jonathan Evison

Publisher: Penguin Audio

 
ISBN:  n/a

 

Thoughts: This novel was basically three stories in one, but only the modern day one kept my interest.

 

Rating: 2/5

Listening for America

 

Title: Listening for America: Inside the Great American Songbook from Gershwin to Sondheim

Author: Rob Kapilow

Publisher: Liveright

 
ISBN:  9781631490293

 

Thoughts: Interesting look at 16 iconic American Musical songs and the reason they "work".

 

Rating: 4/5

Family Family

 

Title: Family Family

Author: Laurie Frankel

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

 
ISBN:  n/a

 

Thoughts: Fun story about what it means to be family and the choices made along the way.

 

Rating: 4/5

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm

 

Title: Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm

Author: Laura Warrell

Publisher: Pantheon

 
ISBN:  9780593316443

 

Thoughts: Melancholy character-driven novel about a man looking for love and the daughter who loves him.

 

Rating: 3/5

Flores and Miss Paula

 

Title: Flores and Miss Paula

Author: Melissa Rivero

Publisher: HarperCollins

 
ISBN:  9798212702713

 

Thoughts: Enjoyable novel about mothers/daughters, work, and grief.

 

Rating: 3/5

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent

 

Title: Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War

Author: Thomas B. Allen

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

 
ISBN:  9780792278894

 

Thoughts: Very informative book, but while it does talk a good bit about Harriet Tubman, it's focus is broader than just her.

Rating: 4/5

The Disordered Cosmos

 

Title: The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred

Author: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Publisher: Bold Type Books

 
ISBN:  9781541724709

 

Thoughts: Fascinating look at the racism that exists in physics on a myriad of levels, but not always the easiest read for non science-lovers.

Rating: 3/5

Welcome Home, Stranger

 

Title: Welcome Home, Stranger

Author: Kate Christensen

Publisher: HarperAudio

 
ISBN:  n/a

 

Thoughts: I found it difficult to connect with Rachel, especially at the beginning, so it made it hard to get into this character-driven novel.

Rating: 2/5

Barbara Ann Scott

 

Title: Barbara Ann Scott: Queen of the Ice

Author: Ryan Stevens

Publisher: self

 
ISBN:  9781069170538

 

Thoughts: I knew nothing about Canadian figure skater Barbara Ann Scott, but I did learn a lot through Stevens's unbiased look at her life.

Rating: 4/5

The Frozen River

 

Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: Random House Audio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: This historical mystery based on real people (but not a real case) immediately draws the reader in and holds them until the very end in a tale of corruption in a biased legal system.

Rating: 5/5

The Other Mothers

 

Title: The Other Mothers

Author: Katherine Faulkner

Publisher: Puffin Books

 
ISBN: 9780142403525

 

Thoughts: Suspenseful with a twist that wasn't what I thought it would be, but some of the characters seemed superfluous and their motives undefined.

Rating: 3/5

The World According to Humphrey

 

Title: The World According to Humphrey

Author: Betty G. Birney

Publisher: Puffin Books

 
ISBN: 9780142403525

 

Thoughts: This book was so delightful as it shows a wide variety of people working through their problems with the help of a smart little hamster.

Rating: 4/5

Monument Eternal

 

Title: Monument Eternal

Author: Alice Coltrane

Publisher: Akashic Books Ltd

 
ISBN: 9781636142258

 

Thoughts: Coltrane's writing is very poetic, but I am not sure I always agree with or even follow what she is trying to convey.

Rating: 3/5

The Leftover Woman

 

Title: The Leftover Woman

Author: Jean Kwok

Publisher: HarperAudio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: While interesting, I think too many ideas were thrown into this story, and it would have been stronger if Kwok had chosen one.

Rating: 3/5

No Place to Bury the Dead

 

Title: No Place to Bury the Dead

Author: Kevin Allison

Publisher: HarperVia

 
ISBN: 9780063213876

 

Thoughts: Very rhythmic story, and I feel the translator did a great job capturing the feel, but I had a very hard time following the plot.

Rating: 2/5

Two Henrys

 

Title: Two Henrys

Author: Kevin Allison

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

 
ISBN: 9781542043830

 

Thoughts: Coming-out memoir with humor and heart that reads like a story.

Rating: 4/5

Look, I Made a Hat

 

Title: Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes, and Miscellany

Author: Stephen Sondheim

Publisher: Knopf

 
ISBN: 9780307593412

 

Thoughts: Sondheim finishes his retrospective on his lyrics with more quips and insights, and a look into the non-musical songs he wrote.

Rating: 4/5

The Tenth Island

 

Title: The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores

Author: Diana Marcum

Publisher: Little A

 
ISBN: 9781503996335

 

Thoughts: Delightful travelogue set mainly on the quirky Azores Islands.

Rating: 3/5

Family Meal

 

Title: Family Meal

Author: Bryan Washington

Publisher: Penguin Audio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: Realistic story about love, grief, and food.

Rating: 3/5

The Wedding People

 

Title: The Wedding People

Author: Alison Espach

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co

 
ISBN: 9781250899569

 

Thoughts: A delightful novel with unique circumstances and characters.

Rating: 5/5

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

 

Title: The Empress of Salt and Fortune

Author: Nghi Vo

Publisher: Tor

 
ISBN: 9781250750303

 

Thoughts: There is a lot packed into this novella, and I feel like there is even more to unwrap.

Rating: 3/5

Absolution

 

Title: Absolution

Author: Alice McDermott

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

 
ISBN: 9781250911094

 

Thoughts: Well written story about military wives in Saigon, but it would have helped the audiobook immensely to have two narrators.

Rating: 3/5

Dreamcatcher

 

Title: Dreamcatcher

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Pocket Books

 
ISBN: 9780743436274

 

Thoughts: At least this one started off right away with it being aliens, but I had a problem with the overuse of the "r" word, even though the flashback scenes took place in a time when it was more acceptable.

Rating: 3/5

Wellness

 

Title: Wellness

Author: Nathan Hill

Publisher: Books on Tape

 
ISBN: 9780593788172

 

Thoughts: Character-driven novel that makes you think, but also has story lines that seem slightly disjointed.

Rating: 3/5

Scout Is Not a Band Kid

 

Title: Scout Is Not a Band Kid

Author: Jade Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Graphic

 
ISBN: 9780593176221

 

Thoughts: Good story and changing friendships and fandom, but many of the secondary characters could have used a little more depth.

Rating: 3/5

Sondheim & Me

 

Title: Sondheim & Me : Revealing a Musical Genius

Author: Paul Salsini

Publisher: Bancroft Press

 
ISBN: 9781610885928

 

Thoughts: Salsini details his interactions with and respect for Stephen Sondheim while publishing The Sondheim Review.

Rating: 4/5

Doomsday Book

 

Title: Doomsday Book

Author: Connie Willis

Publisher: Bantam Spectra

 
ISBN: 9780553562736

 

Thoughts: Time travel sci-fi that seems very plausible and is extremely realistic, aside from the lack of cell phones (book was written in the 90s, and it appears Willis chose video phones as the likely lasting tech over mobile phones).

Rating: 5/5

This Motherless Land

 

Title: This Motherless Land

Author: Nikki May

Publisher: Mariner Books

 
ISBN: 9780063084292

 

Thoughts: A family saga of two cousins - one Nigerian, one British - that somehow gives strong V. C. Andrew vibes.

Rating: 5/5

Putting It Together

 

Title: Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George

Author: James Lapine

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

 
ISBN: 9780374200091

 

Thoughts: Lapine narrates the creation of Sunday in the Park with George through interviews who those involved.

Rating: 3/5

What We Kept to Ourselves

 

Title: What We Kept to Ourselves

Author: Nancy Jooyoun Kim

Publisher: Audible

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: This unassuming novel combines family saga, social justice, and mystery into one tight story.

Rating: 3/5

The Circus at the End of the Sea

 

Title: The Circus at the End of the Sea

Author: Lori R. Snyder

Publisher: Harper

 
ISBN: 9780063047112

 

Thoughts: The first half of this book was very episodic, and it was until later than pieces began to really congeal.

Rating: 3/5