I appreciate the author's enthusiasm for her life story, but this is a rare memoir that bored me senseless.
The writing is fine. It's easy to read.
The I appreciate the author's enthusiasm for her life story, but this is a rare memoir that bored me senseless.
The writing is fine. It's easy to read.
The problem is that I kept asking, What's the point of this? I read 70 pages of this 200-page book, and we were still stuck in her childhood. I think we'd gotten up to the age of 10? And, yes, sometimes a lot happens in the first ten years of a person's life. That's not the case here. It's just an average childhood.
I'm sure some readers will enjoy this book. As for me, I'm moving on to the next.
DNF
*I received a free copy from the publisher.*...more
The author is a psychologist who researches auditory hallucinations andThe brain does all kinds of weird things.
That’s my simplified take on Presence.
The author is a psychologist who researches auditory hallucinations and the feeling of an unseen presence. In this book, he discusses various case studies, such as trauma-induced voices and imaginary friends. I really enjoyed the section on books, where we look at how readers and writers can often perceive characters as real people. Unfortunately, that was also the shortest piece.
The writing is far more academic than engaging narrative. I would have liked more personality from the writing. I needed more of a storytelling vibe, rather than a college lecture.
If you’re looking for any sort of paranormal or supernatural exploration, you won’t find it here. This book is strictly science based.
*I received a free copy from St. Martin’s Press, with no obligation to review.* ...more
I was struggling through this one. While there were some interesting facts, the writing was a bit of a slog. Then I got to the bit about "hysteria," aI was struggling through this one. While there were some interesting facts, the writing was a bit of a slog. Then I got to the bit about "hysteria," and I wanted to shove the book down my garbage disposal. I've read the history of this word in reference to women's health. Clearly, the author has not, because he got it wrong. Worse, the author perpetuates the myth that many chronic illnesses predominantly affecting females today are also linked to hysteria. WTF?!
I normally love memoirs, but this was an odd one for me.
The writing has an ethereal feel; poetic and slightly out of reach. The vibe is more of an expI normally love memoirs, but this was an odd one for me.
The writing has an ethereal feel; poetic and slightly out of reach. The vibe is more of an experimental literary exercise than a memoir.
The timeline hops all over the place, making it difficult to connect all the dots of the author’s life. And, honestly, it never settled into what felt, to me, like a real life. By that, I don’t mean to suggest she’s lying. Not at all. It’s just that the observations and writing style didn’t feel grounded. I almost felt like I was floating in a kind of literary “madness” myself.
I have no doubt that many readers will (and already have) love this book. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them, though I commend the author for telling her story her way.
Tommy Tomlinson set out to answer this question when he decided to write Dogland.
I admit to thinking those dogs couldn’t possibly Are show dogs happy?
Tommy Tomlinson set out to answer this question when he decided to write Dogland.
I admit to thinking those dogs couldn’t possibly be happy. I mean, I wouldn’t be happy standing around for hours, bored, being primped on the sidelines while waiting to prance around in front of some random judges. ...more
I’ve read enough social science and true crime to know that our US legal system is unintentionally and iThe Sing Sing Files is an emotional gut punch.
I’ve read enough social science and true crime to know that our US legal system is unintentionally and intentionally corrupt, ridiculously stubborn, racist, biased, and favorable to the wealthy.
And yet, these stories still managed to, maybe not shock, but absolutely horrify me.
The system makes it too easy to imprison innocent people, and too difficult to get them out. Appeals are a formality designed to protect the prosecution and the judge’s ruling. Proof of corruption or even innocence is no guarantee of a new trial, much less acquittal and release.
Dan Slepian, long-time producer of Dateline, has written a powerful account of six men, wrongly convicted of different crimes, who spent decades of their lives in prison. No one listened. No one cared. And the flimsy evidence that sent each of them away, kept them there even as it fell apart.
If one man who hadn’t even set out to find wrongfully convicted men in one prison managed to so easily find six, how many more are currently locked away across the country, with no one to listen?
*I received a free ARC from Celadon Books.* ...more
I don't follow celebrity news, but it was impossible to miss some of the headlines featuring Britney over the years. I'm so happy that sHeartbreaking.
I don't follow celebrity news, but it was impossible to miss some of the headlines featuring Britney over the years. I'm so happy that she was able to finally tell the truth of her story.
The betrayal by those closest to her is horrifying. The fact that she was able to come out of all she went through and take control of her life is a testament to her strength and resilience.
This must have been an incredibly difficult book for her to write. I hope shedding light on the abuse of conservatorship helps change opinions and laws.
*I received a free copy from the publisher.*...more
I normally love social science and psychology books that explore the behaviors and thought processes of violent criminals, but this book fell a littleI normally love social science and psychology books that explore the behaviors and thought processes of violent criminals, but this book fell a little flat for me. I’m trying to put my finger on why that is.
The book is a breakdown of ten case studies, where the author treated the women who were often both victims and perpetrators. Within each of these cases, the content became repetitive. I felt the author was telling us the same thing in different ways, which lengthened the chapters without adding a whole lot of substance. I also felt the content often focused more on the author’s treatment process and discoveries than the women she was treating.
The writing was a little dry, almost like a college lecture as opposed to narrative nonfiction.
The subject matter is important. I think female violence needs to be better understood, but this book didn’t quite measure up to my expectations.
*I received a free eARC from the publisher, via NetGalley.*...more
I’m not sure this book’s title does justice to the content.
This is a hard read. An important read. A tragic, beautiful, hopeful, heartfelt read.
ThrougI’m not sure this book’s title does justice to the content.
This is a hard read. An important read. A tragic, beautiful, hopeful, heartfelt read.
Throughout this book, we look at generational abuse, trauma, the effects of hunger and starvation, foster children, and adoption. Within all that is one woman’s mission to help her community by supplying food and restoring dignity to those in need.
If we all cared about our communities a fraction as much as Kim Foster, the world would be a much kinder place.
I alternated between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook. The audio production is extremely well done.
*I received an eARC (which I’m inexcusably late getting to) from St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley.* ...more
We learn about truckers in general, but not much about any specific killerExpectation adjustment required.
LONG HAUL was not the true crime I expected.
We learn about truckers in general, but not much about any specific killer or about “hunting the highway serial killers” (the book’s subtitle).
We’re given LOTS of information on both voluntary and forced prostitution. Most of this is in relation to prostitutes working truck stops, but it's unrelated to any specific cases or suspected killers.
We’re also given a lot of information on addiction, mostly regarding prostitutes, but also a bit on truckers. Again, none of this is connected to trucker serial killer cases.
Within all of this, we have a few short summaries of different trucker serial killer cases that have been solved.
While parts were interesting, I didn’t feel that the various aspects flowed well together.
*I received a free copy from Mariner Books.*...more
I so wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t work for me.
The writing lacks emotion and depth. The weird thing is that there is a lot of detail onI so wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t work for me.
The writing lacks emotion and depth. The weird thing is that there is a lot of detail on unimportant, tangential people and events, but a surprising lack of detail and examination of people and events that matter.
Sentence structure is often clunky, and there’s simply too much jumping around.
Also, the author provides inner thoughts and dialogue that are conjecture at best, which makes me question how much is fact and how much is actually fiction.
DNF at 39%
*I received an eARC from Sourcebooks, via NetGalley.*...more
From Jehovah’s Witness to Isis seems like an enormous leap.
Or it did to me, at least, until I read this book.
For young women who have grown up conditiFrom Jehovah’s Witness to Isis seems like an enormous leap.
Or it did to me, at least, until I read this book.
For young women who have grown up conditioned by the kind of religious extremism that treats all females like property, going from one to the other isn’t much more than a baby step.
Author Jessica Roy does a masterful job with this narrative nonfiction story of two American sisters who rebelled against their parents’ stifling, controlling Christian religion, only to be caught up in their eventual husbands’ equally stifling and controlling Islamic religious extremism.
I found this story fascinating, appalling, informative, and engaging. It’s a profound statement about what happens when we teach girls that their value is decided by the men in their lives. When their autonomy is stripped away at the start, how can we ever expect them to survive, much less thrive?
*Thanks to Scribner Books for the free copy.* ...more
Zenith Man takes us to a small town in Northern Georgia in the late 1990s. A woman people claim hasn't been seenTruth is indeed stranger than fiction!
Zenith Man takes us to a small town in Northern Georgia in the late 1990s. A woman people claim hasn't been seen in thirty years is dead. Her husband, known for his bizarre behavior, is accused of killing her.
But this is already the middle of one of the strangest true crime stories I’ve ever read. Unraveling it all means going back to the ‘60s.
The author was “the Zenith Man’s” lawyer, so we get personal insight into this complex case. The writing is engaging, unfolding much like the best fictional courtroom drama.
We have lots of comic relief within a sad story of prejudice and prejudgment, showing the gaping cracks in our legal system. Once again, I’m left wondering how we have the audacity to call this system fair.
*I received a free eARC from Citadel Press / Kensington Books, via NetGalley.* ...more
I finished reading Sociopath several days ago, and I still can’t find the words to describe how I feel about it.
ThroughouWell, that was uncomfortable.
I finished reading Sociopath several days ago, and I still can’t find the words to describe how I feel about it.
Throughout the entire book, I felt an underlying unease about what I was reading. I was mentally flinching at parts, fascinated by some aspects, occasionally saddened, and sometimes a little bored with the pace and repetition. Always, though, was the creeping sense of discomfort.
I wish the author had given us a timeline to orient us in the story. I would have liked a sense of the years in which this all took place, especially regarding the way diagnoses and treatments have evolved. As written, she obscures everything relating to dates and identities.
In the end, I learned a lot, but I was also left with questions. It’s absolutely a book that will stick with me, and that’s never a bad thing.
*Thanks to Simon Books for the free copy.* ...more
I normally love historical true crime, but this book was a struggle to get through.
The research seems impeccable. But the writing is primarily a regurI normally love historical true crime, but this book was a struggle to get through.
The research seems impeccable. But the writing is primarily a regurgitation of historical information, verbatim. Most of this story is told via quotes from newspaper articles and trial activity. Since this case occurred in the mid 1800s, the language is clunky and the opposite of engaging.
The bit of writing interspersed by the author is much more dry textbook than engaging narrative. These bits are designed to move us from one quoted passage to another, informing us of timelines and tying together events, without really adding much independently. I would have much preferred it if the author had taken all that research and told us the story in his own voice, with only an occasional historical quote.
Also, the tie-in to Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe is tangential and irrelevant to the case. Whitman happened to work for a newspaper, and some of his later articles were quoted. Poe had little to do with any of it, aside from offering his opinion on the case....more
Also, I’m an idiot for letting this sit unread on my shelfCan I just say, “WOW,” and call that my review?
Or maybe, “Everyone needs to read this book!”
Also, I’m an idiot for letting this sit unread on my shelf for so long.
Some descriptors: beautifully written, impactful, poignant, emotional.
The Many Lives of Mama Love is truly one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. It’s raw and honest and real. More descriptors. I seem to have a lot of them.
Lara Love Hardin smashes society’s stereotypes of an ex-addict with a prison record. Her journey embodies redemption. She reminds us that we’re all complex humans, not to be defined by the worst thing we’ve ever done.
I switched between reading the print book and listening to the audiobook, which the author narrates herself. I highly recommend either/both.
*Huge thank you to Simon Books for the free copy.*...more
My Side of the River is a personal look at the complexities of immigration policies and the invisible line we call a border.
Usually I love when an autMy Side of the River is a personal look at the complexities of immigration policies and the invisible line we call a border.
Usually I love when an author narrates her own memoir, but this time I wish a professional had done the audiobook. Gutierrez’s narration is simply reading the book, without much inflection or personality infused to make her story come alive.
This is complicated by the writing feeling like a factual account devoid of emotional context.
Ultimately, this is an interesting read from an intellectual standpoint, but I missed the emotional connection that draws me to memoirs.
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free download.* ...more
Can learning a trade change your sense of self-worth?
And what if it’s “just” a hobby, with the power to change a person’s perspective? Is that enough Can learning a trade change your sense of self-worth?
And what if it’s “just” a hobby, with the power to change a person’s perspective? Is that enough to alter a person’s path from one of crime to one that’s healthy and productive?
The answer to all those questions is an emphatic yes.
I’ve read a lot of true crime and sociology books in my lifetime, but I’d never read anything that extensively covers the issue of probation. I’d also never heard of Seeing for Ourselves, a nonprofit operating in New York City.
In a Whole New Way gives us an overview of the probation branch of our criminal justice system, combined with a close-up view of the major difference that can be made when we shift our focus from punitive to rehabilitative.
This is a fascinating read, full of color photos, that proves the proverbial carrot works far better than the stick in a vast majority of cases.
*Thanks to PR by the Book for the free copy.* ...more
Leonor is an absolutely riveting combination of memoir and case study.
My words probably can’t do justice to my experience reading this book. PreviousLeonor is an absolutely riveting combination of memoir and case study.
My words probably can’t do justice to my experience reading this book. Previously, I didn’t know much about Columbia or the guerilla group known as FARC. That was fascinating to learn about, but the way the author told this story was what made it so powerful and memorable.
The author, Paula Delgado-Kling, had a privileged, sheltered upbringing in Columbia. In contrast, Leonor grew up poor, in a rough section of Columbia, where the FARC flourished and her parents offered little to no protection.
The chasm between these two women is extreme and vividly portrayed. Leonor’s experiences, her limited options, her desperation, and the way she was treated throughout each facet of her life is heartbreaking.
Change doesn’t happen until there’s compassion and empathy for those who need help. This book goes a long way toward that goal.
*Thanks to CK Publicity for the free copy!* ...more
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