Greenwood Public Library Blogs

Review: The Kiss Quotient

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The Kiss Quotient
by Helen Hoang
4 stars

Helen Hoang’s debut novel is stellar! Stella Lane is a gifted mathematician who looks at her romantic life as a problem that needs to be solved with practice…and the help of a professional. She makes a lesson plan and hires escort Michael Phan. He reluctantly agrees to help her out. Soon their lives become entangled and, as one might expect, their business partnership turns more personal as we learn about the characters’ hidden depths and vulnerabilities. Hoang does an excellent job spinning the romance novel trope of rich man-poor woman on its head with her refreshing characters. A great, steamy summer read!

 

Read-alikes:

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

 

Review: The Zoo at the Edge of the World

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The Zoo at the Edge of the World
by Eric Kahn Gale
3.5 stars

The Zoo at the Edge of the World is an intriguing fantasy about a boy who is learning about what it means to protect the jungle. Marlin is the son of a world-famous explorer, Ronan Rackham. Rackham built a resort for the wealthy on the edge of the British Guiana jungle, and Marlin and his brother help tend to the animals. Marlin has trouble communicating with people because he stutters, but he has no problem talking to the animals in the zoo. One day, a jaguar is captured and added to the zoo’s collection of animals. He gives Marlin an amazing gift that will change his life forever.

 

Read-alikes

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce

The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Review: Educated

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Educated
by Tara Westover
4 stars

Tara Westover’s memoir focuses on her dysfunctional family life with a narcissistic bipolar father and a mother who was a classic enabler as she grew up in Idaho. The book is filled with many non-traditional and unconventional family stories that end up being dangerous because the parents are survivalists. Her stories are vivid, with excellent descriptions of her difficult upbringing. There was no homeschooling or unschooling –they just did not go. When the author tells of the accidents the family sustained while working in the junkyard from cuts and multiple car accidents, to burns from gasoline with no modern medicine, but rather treated only by her mother’s herbs and tinctures, I cringed inside. The abuse she suffered from her brother, Sean, was difficult. Mental illness seems to be all around. Her parents never seemed to notice Sean beating her up and would never intervene. Her ascent into higher education showed she had great resilience and her memoir takes you into her younger years that were less than wonderful, but she endured showing great loyalty and love for her family.  An incredible read; I loved it.

 

Read-alikes

North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Review: Superstar

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Superstar
 by Mandy Davis
5 stars

Moving back to Indiana where his late astronaut father attended Purdue University, Lester has a difficult time transitioning from home schooling to attending a 5th grade classroom.  As mom returns to work as a librarian it becomes apparent that Lester has sensory issues and is an undiagnosed autism spectrum student. The book gives Lester and his classmates authentic voices and is a heart-felt read.  I LOVED IT!

 

 

Read-alikes

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Review: The Good People

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The Good People
by Hannah Kent
4 stars

I loved Hannah Kent’s debut Burial Rites, so I was eager to read her second novel.  The Good People takes place in Ireland in the early 1800s.  Nora Leahy has lost her daughter and husband and is left alone with her ill grandson, Michael.  Michael was once a happy healthy young boy, but now has constant fits and is a burden to Nora.  Nora hires Mary to help care for the young boy and turns to elderly Nance for medical advice.  Nance suggests that Michael may be a changeling, which leads Nora to become obsessed with the idea.  Nora, Nance, and reluctant Mary begin to try a series of “cures” to bring back Nora’s beloved grandson.

Based on a true story, I found the tale fascinating and was eager to learn more about stories of people in Ireland who had believed they were effected by “the good people.”  Just as in Burial Rites, Kent’s writing is lovely and surrounds the readers with vivid descriptions of setting.  I’m excited to see what she writes next!

Read-alikes

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman