Sunday, April 15, 2018

Mega April Booking It and Book Flight Bonzana

I have been working on Modern Mrs Book Flights.  Similar to Basketball March Madness Brackets but with book pairing.  BECAUSE some books are better together. I have been on fire. I had been in a bit of a reading slump lately but this seemed to jolt me out of it. Check out what other people have been reading this month at Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit.

TRUTH OR FICTION BOOK FLIGHT 



The Romanov Sisters

After reading this I had a much clearer picture of the Romanov's and their reign.  Everyone knows Anastasia but I was more interested in her sister's.  The Romanov sisters were extremely sheltered and I ended up feeling bad for them.  There seems like there was so much potential that was lost like they never lived.  Their Mother and brother were constantly ill and worse yet their mother didn't seem to understand the politics of the time.

Who couldn't use some links to enhance this book flight.  Because one thing I kept asking myself why were people so fascinated with Anastasia and why did they believe she lived? I needed more back story.

The Anastasia Story

DNA Testing Ends Mystery Surrounding Czar Nicholas II Children

*Young Jane Young and So You've Been Publicly Shamed
the only complete book flight I have in Fact and Fiction



This was a quick read for me.  I love that the story was told from the different perspective of all the woman in the story - intern, daughter, adult intern, mother, and wife.  I love that it reinforces the fact that the internet lives forever.  This is really a commentary on social media and shamming. Why this book doesn't have anything to do with Monica Lewinsky there is a somewhat similar story line.  Thought you all would enjoy this Vanity Fair Linky.

The #MeToo Movement means rethinking everything about Monica Lewinsky  (It made me think of this book in the context of the #MeToo Movement and consent etc.)

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson



This book is incredibly timely a non fiction book discussing public shaming in the form of tweets with very real life examples. There is so much food for thought in this book about social media. Though this book mainly deals with the social media of Twitter. I think it applies to all social platforms - facebook etc..

I love the Micheal Fertik quote" The biggest lie is, "The Internet is about you." We like to think of ourselves as people who have choice and taste and personalized content. But the Internet isn't about us. It about the companies that dominate the data flows of the Internet." I also love the quote that Jon Ronson ended his book with " The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people. Let's not turn it into a world where the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless.



Dreamland Burning




This book is told from 2 points of view one in the present and the other in 1921.  Dreamland Burning is based on the Tulsa  Race Riot of 1921. This kinda had a twist I didn't see coming or I thought I knew what was what.  This was a quick read.

Circling the Sun
I had never heard of Beryl Markham.  This is quite a story based on the real life of Beryl Markham.  Beryl sounds like a remarkable woman and pretty much a maverick of her time.  The Africa she lived in seem like it had quite the soap opera of characters and affairs.

The Great Alone and Into the Wild

Are they any Hannah Kirsten books that don't make you cry.  I am pretty sure her books need t come with Kleenex.  I do think this is a good book to pair with Into the Wild.  This book will take you through all the emotions.  I did buy this book as I was about 200th on the wait list.  This book has all the feels.

*** I had read a few books already in the fact and fiction flight.  See my reviews below

Into the Wild - I read this in 2008.  It is haunting. (my review)  I more recently read his sister's book,  Wild Alone by Carine McCandless, and that was enlightening why Christopher may have chosen to escape into the wild.  She provides more of the back story to Christopher's  life.

Just Mercy - I read this in 2015 and I have to say it had a profound effect on how I viewed justice. (my review)



Brand New + Old and True
Brand new books are hard for me to come by as I use the library for 99% of my reading needs. However even the old ones in this section were hard for me to come by.  So I read no new or old books in this category.  But this is a testimony to the staying power of these selections.On top of that there is only 1 Old and True selection I have read.  The Glass Castle back in 2007 before I started reviewing books but I did list it as a favorite for that year.

Book Club Favorites

The Mothers

This book contains some sensitive subjects - abortion and infidelity. I really didn't care for the book and not the because of the sensitive subjects. It just wasn't my cup of tea.




Beartown

I didn't think I would like a book about hockey and small towns.  I found this a book such a good read.  I would desperately would like to discuss with someone.  I live in a small town that is seemingly obsessed with high school sports.  So, I totally understand the bear mentality and I am an outsider too even though I have lived here for 14 years.

Take Another Look




Something in Between
Oh this is a timely read.  This is an immigration story.  It is a good story BUT I am hung up on it mainly because it is a teen pick and there is an agenda. Agenda isn't the right word and one sideness isn' t it either. There are many ways to immigrate illegally and not all people are good people.  I don't want to start a immigration debate.  I think all of us can agree that the immigration and enforcement of immigration law is really messed up in the US.  The characters described in this book are exactly the type of immigrants we want to become US citizens.  I can honestly say I am torn about this book and I would love to discuss BUT we don't discuss these topics in our society.  We loudly brow beat people about their opinion and choose sides.

*** I had read previously Code Name Verity. Review here

2 comments:

  1. I've read The Romanov Sisters and really enjoyed it. Such a tragic story, though.

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  2. Your read list looks a LOT like my read/TBR stack! I always love finding people with similar taste :)

    And thanks so much for making the comment about the follow-up book to Into the Wild (which also has haunted me since I read it). I had no idea his sister has written it! Literally looking that one right this minute :)

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