Greenwood Public Library Blogs

Review: There’s Something About Sweetie

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There’s Something About Sweetie
by Sandhya Menon
4 stars

A delightful companion to Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi, her latest follows Rishi’s brother, n’er-do-well Ashish, and Sweetie Nair. Sweetie is, well, sweet, loyal, funny, athletic, beautiful, and fat…which her mother claims makes her not quite good enough for the hunky and rich Ashish. Ashish and Sweetie go behind her back in this cute, heartfelt yet hilarious teen romance.

Menon delivers a realistic take on Sweetie’s body image struggles or, more accurately, the struggles those around her have while she accepts herself just as she is. An empowering read!

 

Read-alikes

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

 

Review: The Huntress

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The Huntress
by Kate Quinn
5 stars

The Huntress is Kate Quinn’s newest book released this past February.   I loved her previous book, The Alice Network, so I quickly put my name on hold for this one.  This is another historical fiction novel jumping back and forth in time from post WWII Boston to 1940’s in Europe and Russia.  I love reading historical fiction, especially when it shows me parts of history that are not often taught or spoken about.  The story alternates between the points of view of three different characters:  Nina, a Soviet pilot with the Nachthexen or Night Witches, an all female  night bomber regiment; Ian, a British war correspondent, who later abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter.  One target has always eluded him:  das Jagerin, The Huntress.  Then we have 17-year-old Jordan, who longs to be a photographer.  Her mother passed away several years prior, so she is delighted when her father brings home a fiancé.  However, Jordan is suspicious of the young German widow.

I loved reading about Nina’s bonds with her sisters in the regiment and how she later teams with Ian to hunt the Huntress.  We know from the get go that she has a run in with the Huntress and is one of the only ones to ever escape. I love thrillers, so was pleasantly surprised at how suspenseful the story is.  The Huntress’ identity isn’t a mystery, but you are wondering if they will ever catch her, and what will happen if they do.  I also love that the villain is a female.  Some scenes with her are chilling.    The ending is amazing!  The author’s notes at the end added a lot to the story.  It was interesting to read about the real people the book characters were inspired by.  5 stars!  Highly recommend!

 

Read-alikes

The Age of Treachery by Gavin Scott

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

The Confession by Olen Steinhauer

 

Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

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Red, White & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston
5 stars

Alex and Henry have a tense and antagonistic relationship.  Which causes trouble because Alex is the First Son of the US and Henry is the Prince of England.  When their issues come to a head at a royal wedding (including the destruction of a $17,000 wedding cake), the 2 must paste on diplomatic smiles and fake a friendship for the sake of American/British international relations.  The fake friendship gradually becomes real as they open up to each other about the pressures of living in the public eye and that friendship turns into something more.

This book was originally marked as Young Adult, but it definitely falls into the Adult/New Adult categories (the characters are 20 and 22 when the book begins).  This is probably my favorite book of the year (yes, I know it’s early).  It had me bouncing between giggles and swoons, and sometimes both at once.  It was smart, diverse, and inclusive in all the best ways.  And there were multiple references to Alexander Hamilton, Harry Potter, and others!

 

Read-alikes

The Royal We by Heather Cox

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Royals by Rachel Hawkins

 

Review: Girl, Wash Your Face

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Girl, Wash Your Face
by Rachel Hollis
4 stars

New York Times bestselling author and founder of a multimillion-dollar media company, Rachel Hollis pours her heart out to inspire moms to never settle and to create goals in this light Christian read. Go-Girl-chase your dreams. She is straight-talking and often humorous with her mommy/wife stories. Every chapter is named “The Lie; there are 20 of them. Like The Lie: I am defined by my weight and The Lie: I don’t know how to be a mom. At the end of each “Lie” chapter, she offers a list of things that helped her.

I could easily relate to her struggles which felt real and tangible. Hollis takes you through her life struggles from grade school, dating, her brother’s suicide, marriage, kids, adoption struggles and her media company that she built from the ground up. Rachel’s message and goals are for any women who needs to overcome the feeling she is not doing a good job handling everyday life. I did check out her website called, “TheChicSite.com”

I enjoyed listening to the author narrating her book on audio and I chose this book because of the title. I felt like I was sitting with her in home. While I give this book 4 stars, the author writes about her life and she under age 40. Kudos to the author for putting herself out there. No judgement please!

 

Read-alikes

Braving the wilderness by Brene Brown

The happiness project by by Gretchen Craft Rubin

There are no grown-ups by Pamela Druckerman

 

Review: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
by Steve Brusatte
5 stars

Before my review, I have a quick disclaimer: I am mildly obsessed with dinosaurs. Jurassic Park was my favorite movie when I was a child. When I heard that my college had a basic geology course covering Dinosaurs and their evolution, I waited eagerly each semester for it to be offered. When it finally was, I sat front and center every day and consumed every required and suggested reading. After I met a paleontologist I joked to my friends that we were going to get married, if only for him to spin me tales of geology every day.

Reading Stephen Brusatte’s book was nothing short of wonderful, though again, I am a biased source. Brusatte does a wonderful job of introducing you to the world of the dinosaurs, as well as the evolution that produced them. I loved hearing about his work with specific scientists, especially his time in China. He also worked the menial art of spreadsheets, identifying differences and similarities between fossils. It may sound boring to anyone else but me, but tracking those differences and similarities is key to tracking relationships between species.

Brusatte also has turns where he talks about his own journey into paleontology, and at points the book is as much about him and his studies as it is the dinosaurs he covers. I felt his excitement as he recounted moments where he met and worked with distinguished paleontologists. He also mentioned a museum in Rockford, Illinois that he loves to go to (a museum that I will have to make a trip to after reading this book). While these turns towards autobiography were fun, they also added to the story and developed it into something more than just an informational book. Brusatte’s passion for the subject shines throughout the book. If you give it a chance, I hope you love it as much as I did.

 

Read-alikes

Rise of the Necrofauna: A Provocative Look at the Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction by Brit Wray

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Álvarez

Articulating Dinosaurs: A Political Anthropology by Brian Noble