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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
Jax has commented on (44) products
Putins Revenge
by
Lucian Kim
Jax
, December 23, 2024
Reporter Lucian Kim says he has spent most of his life studying Russia. As a journalist, he covered Russia for many years, including a stint in Moscow as the business editor and columnist for The Moscow Times. In this book, Kim argues that mass demonstrations are a source of fear for Putin after he saw them bring down the Berlin Wall when he was with the KGB in Dresden. The Orange Revolution and later Maidan uprising in Ukraine were evidence to Putin that the West, particularly the United States, was undermining the relationship between Russia and Ukraine. Kim says that George W. Bush sowed the seeds that led to current events when he dangled a NATO membership carrot to Ukraine. That being said, he also describes the rapport and friendship between Bush and Putin. The best chance the West had to gain an ally in Russia was during that timeframe. Putin is described as deeply jealous of U.S. dominance and is seeking geopolitical dominance for himself. He has not been shy in comparing himself to Peter the Great and once told a visiting group that Peter did not seize land in the Northern Wars, he “reclaimed it.” This, alone, most clearly demonstrates his views on the war with Ukraine. Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Proust a Jewish Way
by
Antoine Compagnon, Jody Gladding
Jax
, December 22, 2024
Those who have read Proust’s In Search of Lost Time might feel entitled to bragging rights for completing the tome. Having committed the time and focus to read this work, does it make sense to commit yet more time on a deep dived into the a niche aspect of this author’s life? As it turns out, not for me. Others might delight in this. The subject matter is compelling—a focus on Proust’s maternal lineage, which is Jewish, and how Jewish readers of the 1920s and 1930s responded to his work. This book is well researched and interesting, but the exploration of this topic is a granular one. My engagement waned as the pages wore, but that is not the fault of the author and certainly not the topic. Perhaps the audience is academic or simply those passionate enough about the author, time period, or French literature in general. Many thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Elephant Herd
by
Guixing Zhang
Jax
, December 21, 2024
This novel is a translation of a 1998 work of political fiction written by Chinese Malaysian Zhang Guixing, who was born in North Borneo but now lives in Taiwan. The story takes place during the Sarawak insurgency, a communist-led guerrilla war against the Malaysian government that lasted from 1962 to 1990. Protagonist Shi Shicai lost his brothers to this war and is searching for his uncle to avenge their deaths. Much of his time is spent in the Bornean rainforest populated by exotic, dangerous and, at times, mythical creatures that lend a magical realism component to the work. The story floats between present to past, reality and something else, which taxes the attention and understanding until one adjusts to it. It is only then that the beauty of this work begins to emerge. For the Western reader, the author’s style can present a challenge. But, for those who enjoy Modern Chinese literature and are looking for a book that addresses diasporic viewpoints, this can be an option. Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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The Last Room on the Left
by
Leah Konen
Jax
, December 20, 2024
Leah Konen’s friend hinted by text that she would like to read a feminist version of The Shining. From that text, this novel was born. Protagonist Kerry’s backstory matches that of Jack Nicholson’s character to the extent that her alcoholism is damaging her relationships and career. The setting is similar. What sets this novel apart is that Konen isn’t intent on just terrifying the reader. She plots for pacing and does a fine job keeping up the suspense, but she doesn’t sacrifice elements that make for a discussable read. One of them is addiction and the damage substance abuse wreaks on the person and those close to her. Konen is a fine writer, which is especially clear when she describes Kerry’s internal struggle when faced with stress and lots of handy wine bottles, the feeling she experiences when taking that first drink, and Kerry’s awareness that confusing moments could be memory gaps from drinking too much. This puts a human face on the problem and creates some empathy for Kerry. Despite that, Konen doesn’t spare Kerry when laying out the harm she does to others who care for her. Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Cabin Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman
by
Patrick Hutchison
Jax
, November 05, 2024
Enthusiasm can be infectious. Whether or not you have considered spending weekends in a closet-sized cabin with no toilet, you might find Patrick Hutchinson’s enthusiasm for it a bit catching. Much of it comes down to how well he describes his time in nature juxtaposed with a sterile office environment and unfulfilling job. The other part might be imagining how much fun it could be to relive a childhood experience like building a rustic treehouse and finding joy in the experience, creating an escape from the city and gathering place for friends. Hutchinson’s book is filled with humor. While it has runs of granular detail, it is a fun and quick read. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC.
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Stubborn Life
by
Franceska Michalska, Sean Gasper Bye
Jax
, November 05, 2024
Ukraine, among all other nations, holds a unique place in history as the gateway between the East and the West. Referred to as the Breadbasket of Europe, it enjoys rich, fertile land and has a thriving agricultural sector. It is a nation, not unlike the United States, who takes great pride in its culture and identity. These are a few of the many reasons Ukraine is a threat to Putin’s Russia and before it, Stalin’s USSR. To break the country, Stalin imposed measures in the 1930s that caused millions of deaths by execution or starvation. Those who were exiled to distant camps were forced to live in barbaric conditions that few survived. While Ukrainians were starving to death, Stalin extracted enough grain from their country to feed twelve million people for a year. His cruelty and the cruelty of those who carried out is directives are beyond comprehension. Those who want to remind themselves that support for Ukraine is not a political debate but a moral obligation, should read this first-hand account of Franceska Michalska, who lived in occupied Ukraine in the 1930s. The Historical Novel Society says this is “not an easy read, but an important one.” It could not have been translated at a better time. Many thanks to World Editions and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Songs for the Brokenhearted
by
Ayelet Tsabari
Jax
, October 29, 2024
When the State of Israel was created, Jews from around the world flocked to its new hope. The country struggled to keep up with the influx of immigrants and erected transit camps that became overcrowded and unsanitary. When Saida and her husband arrived from Yemen in 1950, they were assigned to one of these camps, a place where many children were removed, never to be seen again. Saida’s son will be one of them. The ancient heritage of Arab Jews predates Islam when Jewish communities settled in areas that later became Muslim. But in this new Israel, their Arabness was viewed as inferior, ignorant, and primitive. Saida’s daughter Zohara will later grow up ashamed of her heritage after she receives an elite education in a mainstream Israeli school. She eventually moved to the United States. When Saida passes away, Zohara returns to Israel to help her sister sort through their mother’s home and personal belongings. Through this process, she will meet the woman her mother was and begin to reexamine her views of her heritage. This well-written and moving story highlights the cultural divide between the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews, an example of prejudice that is all too common in the world. The story of the missing Mizrahi children will eddy at the center of this novel as it ironically demonstrates the thoughtless cruelty one group will justify when seeing the other as inferior. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group—Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Above the Noise My Story of Chasing Calm
by
DeMar DeRozan
Jax
, September 15, 2024
I have a meager understanding of most sports and expected to be lost in what turns out to be a touching memoir about a young boy who grew up amid gang warfare but achieved his dreams despite this. DeMar DeRozan was raised in Compton, one of the most dangerous and notorious communities near LA. It is rife with poverty, substance abuse, gang warfare, and a stream of senseless murders. His parents and grandmother protected him from gang life and ensured the extended family, many of whom were in the Crips gang, did so as well. His parents invested in him and put in the time to help him become the man he is today. DeMar struggled with anger and frustration when younger but learned to channel this into hard work on the courts. He achieved his dream and has excelled in his chosen sport, but that does not undo the pain of being raised among violence and death. He took a step that must have felt as alien as the world he discovered when he left Compton: he went public with his mental health struggles and has been a light to many since that day. In an interview, DeMar says it was important to recognize the impact of holding so much in, to break the stigma of admitting to vulnerability, which everyone feels. This is the most fascinating, captivating, and ultimately heartwarming memoir I have read. I highly recommend this to any reader, even if you know nothing about basketball. Many thanks to Rodale Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Blue Sisters: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Novel
by
Coco Mellors
Jax
, September 11, 2024
There are many great books that aren’t about sunshine and butterflies. I can handle it. But, with nonfiction that covers the unpleasantness of life, there isn’t a screw turning to make sure we are getting the point. If the screw is in the deft hand of a magnificent fiction writer, it can gut you. To be clear, I don’t feel actually gutted here but I do feel sad about these imaginary people whose lives should be good but are so bad instead. When it comes to Lucky, I have met that girl and feel for her. Outside beauty. Inside hollow. Pouring in whatever is around to fill the space or deaden it. Bonnie is my favorite. Driven, disciplined, successful but molded too tightly in the form of a boxer that her soul doesn’t have space for nurturing. We know our shares of Bonnies as well. Nicky. To say her end was a tragedy is an understatement. Then, there is always an Avery. The one who carries burdens like an adult, doesn’t check out, but probably wishes she had a loving mommy’s shoulder to cry on. Very flawed, very real characters. Pacing is too slow at times, but this is about character building not thrilling. I think I’ll go outside now and watch the butterflies feed on the last of my zinnias. Many thanks to Random House Publishing—Ballantine and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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The Mushroom Color Atlas: A Guide to Dyes and Pigments Made from Fungi
by
Julie Beeler and Yuli Gates
Jax
, September 11, 2024
This is an informative, well-organized book about the beautiful dyes that can be extracted from mushrooms. Julie Beeler organizes her book by first describing the colors held in various fungi, including the range of hues based on fruiting body age, mordants, and ph used when extracting the pigments. The next section describes mushroom families such a boletes, gilled, polypores, and tooth, for example. The images include the taxonomic names and areas where the various mushrooms can be found. The final section offers instructions on how to extract the pigments and dye fibers with them. Julie shares her experience foraging for mushrooms with antidotes that lend a humorous and lighthearted side to her narrative. She offers practical suggestions such as gaining permission and permits, if applicable, and tips on gathering without damaging the mycelium structure. She also reminds us that insects and wildlife depend on fungi for food, suggesting we keep that in mind when choosing how much to gather. Along with the color swatches, Julie includes a detailed color wheel that is an artist’s dream palette and can serve as inspiration for artists working in a variety of mediums. Highly recommended!Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Color of Everything A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within
by
Cory Richards
Jax
, September 10, 2024
When I read Cory Richards’ bio and the summary of this “thrilling tale of risk and adventure,” a friend of ours had just climbed to the Mt. Everest based camp. I’ll admit that might have caused some myopia when reading the summary as I glommed onto the thrilling adventure promise. This book is indeed about his adventures, and the opening avalanche scene is amazing. But it is weighted on mental health and addiction told with honesty and frankness. I don’t relate to this aspect of Richards’ story, so the pace felt boggy and I was unable to connect, but he does a wonderful job documenting his personal experiences and his story is beautifully told. This would be a good book for those who want to learn about his personal challenges and how he progressed despite them. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group—Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC.
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Well Trained Wife
by
Tia Levings
Jax
, September 10, 2024
The religion described in these pages is one where scriptural gatekeepers peddle an androcentric faith system of female subjugation and obedience to their male spouses. If he is unhappy, that is her fault. If he bangs her head against the wall, that is also her fault. If she is sitting vigil at a hospital for a seriously ill infant whose chest cavity is flayed open, the mother might be subject to this response from her husband and, you got it—it’s her fault: “I’m sick of you being up here instead of home where you belong. It’s too hard on everyone. You’re a special kind of idiot to think I’m not going to take the kids and leave you. I could do it too. I can make sure you come home to an empty house and never see any of us ever again.” This story is so heartbreaking because the women who populate Tia’s world seem driven by a sincere desire to please God. But this cherished faith system of love and hope is being manipulated to gain control over them, their bodies, and their self-determination. Tia’s road to freedom was not easy, and bravery must have seem an impossible asset to muster. It was for children’s sake that she knew she must dig deep and make a change. Many thanks to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Like Mother Like Daughter
by
Kimberly McCreight
Jax
, September 09, 2024
Katrina McHugh has been abducted. An attorney at a prestigious firm with clients who often needs problems to go away; Katrina is the one who handles their secrets. But no one knows this. Her boss and his wealthy clients want plausible deniability, and Katrina gives that to them. Few know that she and her husband are divorcing but hiding this news from their college-aged daughter Cleo who had dated a wealthy but unsavory guy and resents that Katrina forced a breakup. Cleo’s father plays the good parent, but he isn’t as good at hiding his shady side as he thinks. With so many in Katrina’s orbit that have something to hide, it’s impossible to know who might have wanted her gone. It is up to Cleo to did deep and become the fixer like her mother before there is nothing left to fix. Fast paced, high stakes, lots of twists. A good read. Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor—Knopf and NetGalley for this eARC.
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Road to the Country
by
Chigozie Obioma
Jax
, September 09, 2024
Kunle makes a choice as a boy of nine years old that leaves his younger brother Tunde crippled. Kunle’s girlfriend Nkechi is the catalyst for this tragedy as she will be when Tunde later vanishes. There is an Eve parallel here in that she is also nine, an innocent to western readers, who tempts a man to act with dire, lifelong consequences she does not intend. A seer that watches Kunle’s life unfold years before he is born adds another mystical element and leads to the curse parallel that his mother believes about him. Kunle seeks his brother’s forgiveness for many years, though he never feels the weight of regret lift. Then his uncle tells him a civil war is unfolding and that Nkechi has taken Tunde into the heart of it. For Kunle, this is an atonement opportunity. He, a sensitive university student, cannot imagine how deeply he will be pulled into this brutal war and how ill prepared he is for the horrific scenes he will daily witness. Thank you to Random House Publishings-Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Walk in the Park the True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
by
Kevin Fedarko
Jax
, September 09, 2024
Kevin has an impressive resume, but meeting the younger Kevin in the earlier chapters did little to encourage a full read. While he indicates in a footnote that the Pete-bashing is for effect, it doesn’t play well. Then there is the backstory about previous hikers and Kevin’s experience as a white water waste porter who was comfortably resigned to the fact that he wasn’t qualified for anything more challenging. But enduring the opening will pay off. Kevin does a wonderful job describing the Canyon with its cultural artifacts, plants, wildlife, and staggering beauty. By the time he gets to the 300 daily helicopter tours, we will share his distress about this noxious exploitation of a national treasure that remains as Powell saw it when it was a “blank space on the US map.” More importantly, it is likely the only place left in the US that holds, untouched, the priceless cultural artifacts of the original peoples and early prospectors. Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Oye
by
Melissa Mogollon
Jax
, May 28, 2024
Luciana is still a teenager, the youngest of a Colombian American family, when life dumps a hurricane, a family tragedy, and a telenovela-worthy family secret in her lap. She is the closest to the matriarch, Abue, who is the most colorful and entertaining character in the book and the sun around which the family orbits. The structure is challenging but is in good hands with Mogollon, as it unfolds through Luciana’s telephone calls to her sister Mari. Luciana’s wit and and ability to navigate crises juxtaposed with her teenage freak-outs at having to navigate them makes this story hum. Great read. Many thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Within Arms Reach
by
Ann Napolitano
Jax
, May 28, 2024
Classic Napolitano. This is a beautifully written story with deeply flawed characters who navigate a dysfunctional family dynamic that is heartbreaking in its sincerity. Six characters will have their turn at narration, painting the broad strokes of the family dynamic and judging it with idiosyncratic eyes. The whole created by these narratives is available only to the reader who shares Napolitano’s omniscient eye. The family will not be better for it. The reader might gain insight or just admire the art of a writer who is at the top of her craft. Either way, this is a compelling read but not a book to walk away from with warm fuzzies. Many thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing the eARC.
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Shakespeare The Man Who Pays the Rent
by
Judi Dench, Brendan OHea
Jax
, May 28, 2024
Through an interview format, Judi Dench describes the many characters she embodied for the Royal Shakespeare Company over decades of her illustrious career. Far from being dry for the non-Shakespeareans out there, it reads like a conversation between friends who share the same passion for theater. Dench imbues this book with her trademark personality while sharing her thoughts about the plays and characters she portrayed. She also shares stories about the theater, life of an actor, the people with whom she worked, and, most endearing, stories of childhood. Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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There's Going to Be Trouble
by
Jen Silverman
Jax
, May 28, 2024
Protests serve as the framework for the dual storylines in this novel: the Vietnam War in the US and the more current Yellow Vests demonstrations in France. Needed change underpinned both movements, but a dark side is explored in this novel when frustration becomes anger and violence seems the logical next step. The anonymity crowds and chaos give cover to those who destroy storefronts and vehicles of innocent women and men. For others, it’s about a need to belong as is shown with Keen. In Minnow’s case, it seems she suffers from a predisposition to act without assessing the cost to others or the basic question of whether or not it is her fight. As it is with most of those who tangle in this book, their moral compass will be exposed when they are pressed to make a decision to face the consequences of their decisions or to pass the buck. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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We Loved It All
by
Lydia Millet
Jax
, April 22, 2024
Millet comments that language is the key to our redemption, a notion that seems to be at the core of this work. In this book, she reflects on her family, faith, nature, and the environment in no particular order. We also get arcane tidbits about animals and a rehashing of extinctions about which we already know. One assumes this is her way of using language to move the needle on our self-centeredness. What the dizzying number of details and subjects actually do, to me anyway, is make it challenging to focus (read: appreciate) any given point. Also at play is the question of whether any of it is actually interesting. Plants, animals, and the environment certainly are, at least to the extent that I hadn’t already learned, read, or pondered much of what she shares. Some will find meaning and beauty in her language. These things are certainly present, somewhere buried in the details. Many thanks to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension
by
Hanif Abdurraqib
Jax
, April 22, 2024
Having an interest in sports will certainly make this a more compelling read, as basketball and its legends are at the core of this story. It is the springboard upon which Abdurraqib launches into reflections of his childhood, city, and the cultural influences that shaped both. He also shares many moving reflections on his life such as his thoughts about the unseen or how he felt when a Borders Bookstore closed and cost him his job. While this book might appeal mostly to basketball fans, it is a worthy read for anyone who enjoys a book written with soul and beautifully evocative language. Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Great Expectations
by
Vinson Cunningham
Jax
, April 22, 2024
In the era of Dicken’s novel of the same name, the societal tectonics of the Industrial Revolution caused sweeping changes and, along with it, expectations for a better future. The wealth and social standing of the Peerage was crumbling while a new class of wealthy capitalists gained social status that was no longer tied to one’s heritage. Though the seeds of change for all were embedded in the Industrial Revolution, they took root for only a few. The circumstances of the masses who had consolidated in cities became more dire than ever In this novel, protagonist David will be present as a seismic change upheaves American politics, and Obama’s election brings hopes for a brighter future. But what enduring change did this historical election bring? In this autobiographical work by Vinson Cunningham, this question will be explored. Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Deerfield Massacre
by
James L Swanson
Jax
, March 31, 2024
One winter day in 1704, young colonist families who settled the isolated border between a Massachusetts English colony and France’s will pay a staggering price for a war in far away Europe. It was the practice at that time for both England and France, with the help of native tribes, to raid each other’s colonies. The raid on the Deerfield settlement is one example. The only artifact left of this horrific day is a single door, one that was too strong for tomahawks to breach. For those who were not so fortunate, the day was gruesome and terrifying. Babies and those unable to make the 300-mile trek on foot to Montreal were butchered in the presence of family members. This book is written with the exactness of a historian but with evocative language when needed. The massacre and forced march to Canada are vividly described, but the hostages’ time in Canada and lengthy negotiations to free them are related in a more academic tone. Overall, a compelling read about a little-known slice of history. Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Wandering Stars
by
Tommy Orange
Jax
, March 31, 2024
The deliberate stripping of Native American identity and culture is not that kind of situation discussed in Martin Puchner’s illuminating book about the heterogeneity of culture—the notion that given cultures are not freshly sprouted and unadulterated stock. Rather, culture as we use the term is a mixed bag of borrowing or imposing culture systems through invasion and colonization or simply the normal blending that results from mass migrations and resettlements. In this story, the cultural stripping is not being done by a foreign power. It is not a thing of centuries past in some distant and mysterious world. Rather, it is an instance of one group of Americans—who it might be noted hold the entire stock of hard and soft power—deciding its culture is superior to that of another American group. The story that unfolds in this book is about generational trauma and the challenge of thriving as forced adoptees of a transplant culture. It is about today’s world and should serve as a reminder that it is naïve and dangerous to force one’s view of the world on another’s agency. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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The American Daughters
by
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Jax
, March 31, 2024
This compelling story follows a young woman, Ady, who was enslaved by John du Marche when the Louisiana French plantation system was at its height. While it is about an underground resistance movement against the Confederacy, it first lays some groundwork. As Ady’s and her mother Sanite’s experiences unfold early in the book, their heritage as Maroons is revealed as is the reprehensible and abusive nature of Antebellum enslavers such as du Marche. The examples of du Marche’s depraved behavior remind readers how heinous the plantation system was and why resistance fighters would risk their lives to destroy it. The Maroons are a group of formerly enslaved men and women who escaped Caribbean plantation systems through resistance, evasion, and unrelenting determination. Ady will need to draw on this heritage if she is to become a resistance fighter with the American Daughters and undertake the grave risks this role entails. By doing so, she will follow in the footsteps of those who went before her to fight for a different future. Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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After Annie
by
Anna Quindlen
Jax
, February 20, 2024
This beautifully written book about the sudden death of a mother of four is a melancholy read, but Anna Quindlen fans will not be put off. They know she does not shy from heavy themes. The book opens with Annie collapsing in front of her husband and children while spooning mashed potatoes from a dented pot. In the chaotic moments that follow, the children sit mute, Ali alone watching her father panic, bouncing in place, panting as the EMTs work on her mother. It’s hours before Ali’s father returns home and collapses on the floor in tears. She does not need him to say that her mother is dead. That much is clear. This is the beginning of a year of grief and reckoning with the devastating and life-altering loss of a person who is the force around which the family and her best friend orbit. It is human nature to believe that tragedy will visit another. Freud’s narcissism at play, the thinkers will argue. The self-absorption that underpins the harsh reality that humans believe others are expendable. In addressing how crushing it is when that fallacy crumbles, Quindlen does an outstanding job. For me, unfortunately, this book is tedious and depressing, particularly reading about children facing this heartbreaking loss. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group—Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Keep Your Friends Close
by
Leah Konen
Jax
, January 24, 2024
Mary’s life is a Cinderella story. She’s married to a handsome and wealthy man who adores her, living a life of luxury and ease with a son they both cherish. She realizes it’s all a fairytale when patterns begin to form around George’s manipulative behavior, and she leaves him. He is the good son, runs the family’s nonprofit that helps women in developing nations. Surely he will honor their shared custody agreement. Mary is trying to create a life for she and her son, Alex, when she meets Willa. They have an immediate connection and become friends, a connection Mary desperately needs. She has been self-medicating lately and is prone to drinking and sharing. Putty in the right hands. Then Willa disappears and George reneges on their custody agreement. He seems to be building a case of unfitness against her. With no money to hire a lawyer capable of facing his family’s powerhouse law firm, the noose is tightening. George makes a final plea to meet with Mary to discuss their marriage, but he never shows up. She finds him at his brother’s property when she opens the door and trips over his lifeless body. The scene suggests a deranged—or vengeful—person committed the crime. Mary quickly becomes a suspect, and her only hope of seeing Alex again is to find the killer before she is arrested. This title lives up to its billing as a suspense thriller. There is a sinister feel to every page. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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What the Bees See A Honeybees Eye View of the World
by
Craig P. Burrows
Jax
, January 24, 2024
This wonderful book is full of interesting details including descriptions of various types of bees, stages of life, environmental and disease threats, pollen and nectar gathering, and hive organization. One graph compares the lifespan of a human if she were a queen honeybee. Let’s just say it’s a long, long time! Any important job, such as collecting pollen and nectar, needs specialized tools. A honeybee’s eyes are her most important ones. I say her, because it is the female honeybee who forages for pollen and nectar. The bee will use various visual cues such as landmarks, vertical features (roads, drainage ditches), and polarized light e-vectors when foraging. She will pass along this gps information via a dance when she returns to the hive. Like most animals, honeybees see ultraviolet light, but they see it faster than other creatures. UV light plays a critical role in finding pollen but also penetrates cloud cover, widening the foraging window. Color patterns in flowers are nectar guides and iridescent, not all of which are visible to the human eye. For honeybees, these vectors are pay dirt. The book is well designed, and the information alone is worth a read. But the most spectacular feature of this book is the photography. The flower images are produced using ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography to mimic how a bee sees, and they are breathtaking. Many thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Where the Wind Calls Home
by
Samar Yazbek, Leri Price
Jax
, January 24, 2024
The Syrian war was still a distant crisis in Ali’s impoverished mountain village, but its presence was made real by the new Graveyard of Martyrs, a reality that was replicating throughout the region. Ali was nineteen when he was recruited to protect the homeland, by the same man who had recruited his brother. Before the bomb exploded, Ali wanted only to study with the old village sheikh and commune with nature where his heart and soul lived. But that was before. Now, Ali’s body is damaged as he lies under an oak tree, piecing together what happened, drifting in and out of consciousness, in and out of the past and present in a rolling wave, questioning why his youth is now spent in these few meters between a bomb and an oak tree, what he will be after. Told in beautiful, deeply moving prose, this story is about a family and village dragged into a battle that is not theirs, a cause that need not affect them. It is a quiet and devastating story of one young man’s introspection in the long moments before his death. A profound and necessary read. Thank you to World Editions and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Get the Picture a Mind Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists & Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See
by
Bianca Bosker
Jax
, January 24, 2024
Contemporary art is a stumper to most people and for good reason. At one gallery opening, journalist Bianca Bosker describes a plasticky black seagull dangling near the floor. She undertook a daring mission to find out why the contemporary art world, or “machine,” thinks the seagull sculpture and others like it can change the world. But the machine sees journalists as the enemy, pariahs, so it is nothing short of a miracle that she was allowed behind the curtain. Bosker spent several years studying at galleries and with artists, going to art exhibitions and gallery openings and would slowly come to terms with the art. While she imbues her story with humor, it’s hard to slap varnish on a pretentious and fragile machine and make it shine. “We chews people up,” one gallerist said, which sums up the takeaway. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good read. Just that the world you are reading about could use a good therapist. Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Viking and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Book of Doors
by
Gareth Brown
Jax
, January 17, 2024
Snowflakes are sprinkling the darkness outside Upper East Side’s Kellner Books as John Webber quietly passes away at one of the bookstore’s reading desks. He’s sitting upright, The Count of Monte Cristo on the table before him. As she was tidying up for closing, Cassie and he had spoken of traveling the world, something he advised her to do. Cassie’s grandfather dreamed of traveling before he died, but he never got the chance. He was raising Cassie alone. When the EMTs and investigators leave with Webber’s remains, Cassie notices not one book but two sitting on the desk where he had died. One is the Book of Doors, and in it is an inscription that tells Cassie the book is now hers. Cassie and her best friend and roommate Izzy later discover the power of this book. Cassie quickly takes advantage of its magic. Izzy is cautious, concerned it might be dangerous, and she is right. They will soon be ensnared in a wider and more sinister world where both roommates are in grave danger. This is a light and sweet read that has likable characters and good tension, but it is heavy on description. While not my taste, it should be fun for those who like cozy mysteries with a world-wide travelogue. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Tears of Gold
by
Hannah Rose Thomas, HRH The Prince Charles Former Prince of Wales, Prince Zeid bin Raad al Hussein
Jax
, January 15, 2024
British artist Hannah Rose Thomas and clinical psychologist Dr. Sarah Whittaker-Howe traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan and northern Nigeria to meet the Yazidi women who had escaped ISIS captivity. Thomas wanted to provide a safe place for them to express themselves through art; she knew the healing power of art through her own experience. While Whitaker-Howe recorded their stories, Thomas taught the women how to paint self-portraits. Many embellished them with tears of gold. Before Thomas left, they asked if she would paint their portraits so others might learn of their situation. She not only painted their stories, but also made trips to other parts of the world where other women have suffered similar experiences. Thomas created images that harken to the icons of the early-Renaissance, using techniques such as 24-karat gold leaf and the labor-intensive and tedious egg tempera. Set against background so closely associated with fifteenth-century iconography, the images are exemplars of female strength and resilience in the face of unthinkable tragedy. The Rohingya women’s, by contrast, emerge from a dark background, glowing in the darkness as their faces would have done when their villages were burned. Thomas’s portraits are extraordinary and have been shown in numerous prestigious venues. King Charles III, Prince at that time, chose three for a 2018 exhibition in Buckingham Palace. Thanks to Plough Publishing and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Witchcraft A History in Thirteen Trials
by
Marion Gibson
Jax
, January 15, 2024
Witches and witch hunting—literally and metaphorically—are comfortably ensconced in our cultural landscape. The witch hunt, which began in Europe and found its way to the colonies through the Puritan culture, is still alive today, but accusations of witch hunting are generally made in a metaphorical sense. The term witch hunt made it into the political lexicon with McCarthy during his effort to root out communism. Today, it is an often-used tool in partisan politics to either discredit a rival, deflect accountability for wrongdoing, or disempower an allegation. It’s interesting that the first witch trial in 1485 Austria was motivated to silence dissent. One way or the other, the goal is to silence a real or perceived opponent. Gibson argues that demonology was shaped with the either/or thinking of the Reformation when the Christian Church began to split over church doctrine. The hatred that grew through this polarization was the prerequisite for witch hunting—the permission to kill fellow Christians. The thirteen trials discussed in this book represent stages in the evolution of witch-hunting over the centuries from the mid fifteenth to the twenty-first. The arguments made in this book would be stronger had writer’s distance been honored, as would be expected in an academic work. One hopes to be walked to conclusions rather than dragged with loaded language. Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Poor Deer
by
Claire Oshetsky
Jax
, January 09, 2024
Traumatic events have a way of molding life’s outcomes, especially when tragedy strikes at a young age. Margaret’s best friend Agnes dies at age four while they are playing a game, and Margaret’s hand in that death is what drives the narrative. Raised by a devout single mother and doting aunt, religion is an enveloping presence in this story. While lighting a candle and praying for Agnes’s immortal soul brings Margret joy and hope, the church visit also lends symbolism to other moments in the story. It is then that Margaret hears the whispered: “Agnes Bickford—Poor Deer.” Poor Deer, the creature who will stalk her. The judge, conscience, and misguided mentor who hounds her to admit to others what she has done. Kneeling in prayer, Margaret sees in Baby Jesus’s face the soft gray silt in which Agnes had played. The color of Madonna’s robe will reappear as will her damaged hand and nubby yellow teeth. The unique approach to structure and point of view perfectly mimics the way the mind works when we mull over the past, reworking the truth, remodeling memories. In her confession that Poor Deer forces her to write, Margaret attempts different versions of that fateful day, hoping to land on one she can endure. If only Poor Deer would allow it. While the themes in the book are weighty, it is not without hope. I finished this read with a deep appreciation for the level of artistry and craft in these pages. Many thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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We Are Your Soldiers How Gamal Abdel Nasser Remade the Arab World
by
Alex Rowell
Jax
, November 13, 2023
Gamal Abdel Nasser burst onto the international stage in 1952 when he led the coup d'état that overthrew King Farouk, introducing revolutionary politics that culminated in the seizure of the Suez Canal and the ouster of British troops from Egyptian soil. Charismatic and larger than life, he was wildly popular for these victories and the many reforms and improvements he brought to his country. But in this biography, Alex Rowell demonstrates that Nasser was willing to resort to any means from propaganda to instigating riots, terror, and chemical warfare against other sovereign nations to achieve his dream of an “Arab nationalist republic in the Nasserist mold.” Rowell offers disturbing documentation of how Nasser operated in his efforts to see his vision come to fruition and points to the various reasons he failed to achieve his goal. This is an engrossing and sobering read that will shed light on Nasser’s outsized influence in Arab politics and how his legacy has played out to this day. ***Author and Biographer Alex Rowell is a lifelong resident of the Middle East and a journalist and author in Lebanon. He has written for the BBC, the Economist, and the Washington Post, and is an editor at the Washington, DC–based magazine New Lines.*** Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Volga Tale
by
Guzel Yakhina, Polly Gannon
Jax
, October 01, 2023
Jacob Bach is a schoolteacher who lives in a village of German colonists on Russia’s Volga River. It is a peaceful time before the Revolution where his only excitement is dashing out to play chicken with lightning storms. This changes when he reluctantly agrees to tutor a young woman named Klara who lives in isolation across the river. Her father wants her educated so he can arrange for her marriage. When this fate is imminent, she flees to Bach’s home. He has fallen in love with her and will shelter her at the price of condemnation from his religious neighbors. Eventually, they will have to move to her now deserted home on the opposite shore. This sprawling novel follows Bach’s growth as he evolves into a man he could have never imagined. It dips in and out of fantasy, takes side trips to expose the powers who control the country’s fate in their scheming, but mostly it follows Bach, those he loves and the work he loves. There are tender moments and terrifying ones, times of abundance and devastation. It is a long read but also distinctive in creativity, characterization, and writing.
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Ukrainian Portraits: Diaries from the Border Volume 214
by
Marina Sonkina
Jax
, September 25, 2023
Marina Sonkina emigrated from Russia and knows how life or death can hinge on a single event, like Putin’s decision to invade a sovereign nation. In her case, had Stalin lived a matter of weeks longer, Marina would not have traveled to Poland in 2022 to help Ukrainians fleeing the war or write a book about it. Indeed, it is likely she would not be alive. The trains were staged to deport Jews to Siberia before Stalin’s death. She, a toddler and Jewish, would have been on it. During her stay at the border, Marina helps many navigate a forced evacuation, most with little more than what they can carry. She encourages them to trust that Europeans want to help them, that they don’t think of them as swine, won’t steal their children for personal slaves, as Putin’s poisonous propaganda warned. She knows they will find empathy and support, returning to Ukraine one day with an empiric understanding of life in Western democracies. This diary is a quick read and puts names and faces to those whose lives Putin is piteously destroying. Thank you to Guernica Editions and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Beyond the Door of No Return
by
David Diop, Sam Taylor
Jax
, September 21, 2023
Michel Adanson devoted himself to botany, a means by which he will gain the admiration, respect and, yes, jealousy of scientists throughout Europe. By the time he is standing before the door through which we all will pass, he has managed to describe 100,000 plants, animals, and shellfish. He knows, reflecting as he must on his death bed, that despite his achievements and the sacrifice he made of his family, his work will be lost to the march of progress. It is then that he decides to give meaning to his life by introducing his daughter Aglaé to the man he was, not the scientist that will be swept into the bin of antiquation. Adanson describes for Aglaé a life-altering trip to colonial Senegal, a place that has not yet been robbed of its natural assets. While on his hunt for specimens, he meets a village chief who tells of an abduction, a niece lost to him by the slave trade only to reappear as a revenant in another village. Adanson is struck by this story and devises a way to investigate this myth under the cover of research. What he finds will be the last words his mouth utters. Diop’s craftsmanship is magnificent as he develops a story of relationships, loss, and the ravages of colonialism. Aglaé’s relationship with her father and his with his Senegalese guide Ndiak are highlights. They are mostly abandoned as Adanson’s pursues a ghost, but that story holds interest as well. Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing this eARC
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I Am My Country & Other Stories
by
Kenan Orhan
Jax
, May 07, 2023
This marvelous short story collection by Turkish American Kenan Orhan sketches life in Turkey as one in which society struggles with an evolving state of affairs. Each story is unique, but religion and politics are the threads that bind them. The policies of Islamist President Erdoğan features prominently. The erosion of Turkey’s secular state and its democratic principles are on display as people receive prison sentences for minor infractions. “That was the way things seemed now—it was impossible to keep track of what could get you in trouble.” Authoritarianism is no better described than in the first story’s imaginative flight into magical realism where a trash collector recovers “the small grandeurs of life,” things stolen by government decree. Like that of a composer’s instruments. “I enjoyed collecting the composer’s trash if only for the reprieve of tending to something precious, of being entrusted with the death of the beloved machinations of one’s art.” This woman, as others, will face imprisonment for the “inability to reduce my life along the guidelines of presidential decrees.” Readers who are aware of current events will find many references, but this knowledge is not necessary for enjoying this engaging collection. The stories are well crafted treasurers of human experience, and readers will find the array of delightful characters and their interesting stories worth a read. Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
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Picasso the Foreigner
by
Annie Cohen Solal, Sam Taylor
Jax
, April 08, 2023
While his art might not be universally appreciated, Pablo Picasso is most definitely a household name. In this biography, we will meet him as a fresh face arriving in Paris where his association with the Catalans of Montmarte will earn him a file with the local police. On the heels of the French Revolution, the police had an obsessive distrust of foreigners, always looking at them as potential anarchists. Neither this nor his struggle with the language or poverty or abominable living conditions stood in the way of Picasso’s goal to become the leader of the avant-garde. As if he had Francis Bacon’s words in mind, he made his own opportunities with hard work and dogged determination. This book includes interesting details about Picasso’s themes and growth as an artist and expatriate. But the stories about his relationships are what I enjoyed most. One of my favorites is about his friendship with Braque. “No other modern art style has thus been the simultaneous invention of two artists in dialogue with each other.” More special, however, is what Cohen-Solol calls the constant in his life, the “epistolary pact” with his mother. She regularly scolds him for not writing her often enough or expresses fear for his safety. It lends a sweet, down-to-earth aspect to the man who took over the Paris avant-garde and still rules our minds when we think of cubism. The amount of research that went into this book is staggering, and the result is a comprehensive and compelling read.
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Calling Ukraine
by
Johannes Lichtman
Jax
, April 03, 2023
John Turner knows nothing about the hospitality industry or call centers or how to teach the fine art of small talk. He doesn’t speak Ukrainian, has never been to Ukraine, and knows zero about its culture. But he took a job in Ukraine anyway as a supervisor in an Airbnb call center. As the odyssey unfolds, we learn that Turner is a worrywart who second guesses himself, grinds through negative thoughts, and constantly sidenotes excuses for an action or inaction. Instead of this lending a thoughtful aspect to his character, he comes across as lacking conviction or fearing what readers might think. The Ukrainian characters are a balancing foil to his neuroses, which makes their practical approach to situations seem enlightened by comparison. The service agents he is supervising have not had the luxury of indulging in thin skin so have no toolkit to manage the orchids among us who expect customer service representatives to know how lightly to mist our petals. Trained to patiently wait in line and stoically respond to disappointment, they are baffled by the need for superfluous small talk to manage callers. Even more so when Turner repeatedly apologizes for something he didn’t do. Herein lies the humor of this book, even if it is with a bit of a blush as we see ourselves through the eyes of another culture. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC.
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Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club)
by
Ann Napolitano
Jax
, March 15, 2023
This is a book about families with weighty themes such as grief and how a son becomes the casualty of parents who can’t move on, can’t show love twice. It examines expectations and how they can strangle, connectedness and how it can heal. There is love with strings attached and without. Unforgiveness and selfishness. Selflessness and boundless loyalty. Rose and Julia’s egocentricity can be exhausting. Charlie, Kent, and Sylvie would be gifts to anyone’s life. At times, reflection and explications of an issue from multiple points of view can be trying, but this book addresses issues that need to be addressed and will be relatable to many readers. The publisher’s book discussion guide can be found at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676682/hello-beautiful-oprahs-book-club-by-ann-napolitano/ Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
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The Last Cold Place: A Field Season Studying Penguins in Antarctica
by
Naira de Gracia
Jax
, March 12, 2023
If a penguin stood on my foot and slapped me silly, I might rethink my plan. For de Garcia, this is just part of the job. In this book, she recounts her time in Antarctica as part of an ecosystem-monitoring program run by NOAA that will guide global krill-fishing regulations. These tiny shrimp-like creatures are an engine for carbon capture and a keystone species in the ocean’s food web, and they are a food source for penguins She and her partner Matt study them by installing geolocators and time-depth recorders, tagging and banding, weighing and measuring, sorting through regurgitated food, and peeking under tails to check for eggs. Their days are spent covered in bright pink penguin excrement smelling like fermented shrimp, but de Garcia is in heaven. She describes her days on this remote corner of the world with prose that is as lovely and measured as the ocean tides. Living among wild things in a wild place rubs her heart raw with its beauty, she says. Interspersed with descriptions of her daily chores and conversations with Matt, she reflects on weighty things such as the struggle to form a lasting romantic connection, her childhood, and what is next for her. She infuses humor and insight into her descriptions of life in a freezing outpost with no modern conveniences and little privacy. In this book, we see a rare combination of scientific inquiry and beautiful prose. Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for providing this eArc.
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Mouth to Mouth
by
Antoine Wilson
Jax
, March 12, 2023
There is something creepy about the idea of being captive to a storyteller who is lying and you know it. The moment you realize it’s a well-designed blueprint of deception and wonder why he’s telling you this personal, perhaps damning story. You have been selected, and there is a reason you cannot unpack. It is a viscerally disturbing moment of truth that sends your mind pingponging for answers. That is what it feels like to read this book. It as is if Jeff Cooke is talking directly to you and you sense that, despite his tailoring and first class life, this man is dangerous. I could not put this book down. I wanted to check over my shoulder a few times but also chuckled at the narrator’s reaction to the art. Like when he thought Agnes Martin hadn’t finished her painting before the show and that an impastoed work looked like a compost pile. I got it when he was captivated by Joan Mitchell’s diptych but couldn’t explain his response. Overall, I felt I was Jeff Cooke’s captive, and I couldn’t stop listening any more than the narrator could. It attests to Antoine Wilson’s talent that this embedded narrative unfolds slowly but with page-turning fervor.
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