Audiobook Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

I wanted to read Their Eyes Were Watching God because it is somewhat of a classic now, and it was part of the English curriculum when I was a librarian.

And for those reasons, I'm glad I read it. I was impressed with the writing. The descriptions are vivid and detailed, if a bit drawn out. But that is the poetic aspect of the book.

I was glad I chose the audio version because I think the dialect would have been tedious to read. The narrator, Ruby Dee, does an excellent job with the dialect as well as the voices. I'm hoping the teachers used the audio version to help the students with it.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of Janie, a black woman in the 1930s. We learn a lot about black traditions, especially when it came to how women were treated. I would recommend -- the audio version -- if you are interested in the subject.

Published by J. B. Lippincott, 1937
Audiobook obtained from libro.fm
297 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: We Deserve Monuments, by Jas Hammonds

I don't read as much Young Adult Literature these days, but I'm glad I chose We Deserve Monuments. 

In the interest of time and clarity I'll copy the description here because I think it does a better job than I can at describing the main plot ideas:

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family―whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer―Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance―the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell―or if some things are better left buried.

We Deserve Monuments gave me a lot of "feels." The teen romance was sweet, although the realities of a lesbian relationship are also apparent. Mama Letty was a great character, and I must admit I shed a tear for her (which is unusual for me.) The mystery aspect didn't intrigue me as much, but still added to the story. 

YA reads are usually quick, and We Deserve Monuments is no exception. So if you are in the market for a brand-new YA story, you should pick this one up. But you don't need to take my word. It is a current bestseller.

Published by Roaring Book Press, November 29, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+ and NetGalley
384 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Audiobook Review: The Four WInds, by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds was a mesmerizing book about the Dust Bowl, once it got going.

The characters were amazing, the setting -- well -- unbelievable. The Four Winds puts you in the middle of the dust bowl, but also in California, where thousands of people went to find work during The Depression. As you can imagine, it didn't work out well for them.

It's one of those "I can't believe this happened in the USA" stories. And they keep bringing up that point as they are living through the horrors. You get an interesting take on Communism and the Red Scare, as these "Communists" tried to unionize the workers to help them get a living wage. I mean, they literally could not survive on what they were paid, even when the men, women, and children were all picking. The huge growers would cut wages on a whim. They had their own company stores where people could get credit, and of course, they could never get out from under the debt.

Elsa was an amazingly strong woman and no one could not become attached to her and her family. My only complaint is that the beginning was slow. There was too much time spent on Elsa's childhood and life with her parents. I get that her background makes her who she is, but I still thought it went on too long. So the message is:  don't give up. This is a minor complaint, and it is well worth the effort to get through that part. I also would have rather had a different outcome for Elsa. That's all I'll say.

I would recommend The Fours Winds to anyone. The audio version is excellent, although my listening kept getting interrupted by audiobooks that I had on hold at the library. (You only get them for three weeks.) So when another one became available, I borrowed The Four Winds book from my sister and read the last 60 pages.

Published by St. Martin's, 2021. Audio by Macmillan
Audiobook purchased from libro.fm
464 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustain

The Girls in the Stilt House has been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, and I agree. It's the reason I chose to read this.

In the 1920s, deep in the swamps of Mississippi, Ada returns home to the Trace, where she lives in a stilt house with her drunken, abusive father after a misguided adventure with a boy in Baton Rouge. Her father, as is common, is away for weeks before coming home and relegating Ada to live in the shed.

Matilda lives on the other side of the Trace, with her family who sharecrops. Both she and her father are working hard to raise money to get out of Mississippi and build a better life.

These two girls cross paths in a most violent way and end up living in the stilt house together. But Matilda has many secrets that she is unwilling to share, and Ada cannot seem to get the security she so desires.

I don't want to give too many details of the story, but they are doled out slowly, as we realize what a seemingly hopeless situation these girls are trying to muddle through. There are surprises and many secrets to discover. Any feelings of hopefulness seem to disappear on a whim.

I found The Girls in the Stilt House more exciting and fast-paced than Where the Crawdads Sing. I also would compare this to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.  So, if you enjoyed either of those books, I would definitely recommend The Girls in the Stilt House.

Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, April 6, 2021
eBook purchased 
384 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Audio Book Review: The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

 The Downstairs Girl is an enjoyable story and it enlightened me about some historical issues I had not encountered previously. 

It is 1890 in Atlanta, and Jo Kuan feels fortunate to have a job as a milliner's assistant. She is very talented and has taken the new girl under her wing. She is stunned when the milliner fires her and decides to keep the new girl. Given Jo's heritage, she is used to being treated unfairly.

She and her adoptive father, Old Gin, live secretly in the basement underneath the building where an Atlanta newspaper is printed. She feels like she knows the publishing family very well since she can listen in on their conversations, but they have no idea people are living in their basement.

Jo is forced to become a ladies' maid for the daughter of one of the most wealthy Atlanta families, where she has worked previously. She hates the job but tries to get along with the spoiled brat.

Jo is so frustrated that she becomes "Miss Sweetie," an anonymous lady who writes controversial columns for the newspaper about the inequalities of society. She can't believe how popular her opinions become and is fearful as her identity comes very close to being revealed.

There are secrets and surprises all throughout The Downstairs Girl, and I'm glad I didn't read the Amazon blurb because it gives away a big one! The plight of the seemingly invisible Asian population is unique. They weren't treated quite as badly as the black population, but yet they were not entitled to any of the privileges of the white. 

The narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, does a great job narrating. I really thought her male voices were exceptional, given she is female. I would definitely recommend the audio version.

I found The Downstairs Girl compelling, even if the ending is a bit too good to be true. The book is written for young adults, and totally appropriate and informative for that audience. I would recommend The Downstairs Girl to teens and adults alike.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons BFYR, 2019
Audiobook purchased from Libro.fm
384 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Great Santini, by Pat Conroy

My sister-in-law has read a couple of Conroy's books and recommended him, so I found The Great Santini at the library and decided to give it a go. Loved the writing, not so much the story.

Basically, it's a story of the life of Colonel Bull Meecham, or The Great Santini, a name he has given himself. He's a Marine pilot with a wife and three kids. This takes place in the '60s, and the family is once again moving to a new place because Bull has been reassigned. He's a jerk. And the book goes through example after example of his physical and mental abuse. He's not nice to his family or his Marines. 

We see his son's struggles on the basketball team, and myriad other problems his kids have. There isn't really an overall story arc, something I found lacking. The story just meanders through Bull's life. There is a life-threatening event towards the end of the story. And then the dramatic ending. But that all happens very quickly.

The redeeming quality of The Great Santini is the writing. Conroy uses sophisticated vocabulary. I found myself having to look up a few words, which given my vocabulary, doesn't happen very often when I'm reading fiction.

The Great Santini has been made into a movie, which I haven't seen but may check out. Conroy has written many other bestsellers, and I may eventually give another one of his a go.

Published by Random House, 1976
eBook obtained from the library
512 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek depicts a time and a place that I knew little about. I found it touching and compelling. And I'm a sucker for books about librarians...

In the 1930s, in the deep hills of Appalachia, Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project hired women to deliver library materials to the most remote and isolated people in the state. Cussy is one of these librarians.

Her father is determined that Cussy get married since he is her only family. Cussy knows that she will lose the job she loves since married women can't be packhorse librarians. She also knows that no one will want to marry her since her skin is a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. She is the last of her kind, one of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky.

Cussy survives many hardships, many having to do with the discrimination against the blues, but also just because she is poor. Her father's life is a horrific one, working in the coal mines every day.

The depiction of Cussy and the people she meets is eye-opening and fascinating. Minor characters are a bit muddled-I had a bit of trouble keeping track of who was who-but I needed to find out what happened to all of them. And some of it is very sad.

I'm still thinking about Cussy and her life (and feeling thankful). I think that says a lot about a book. If you are interested in history, and in particular the hardships endured by these people, you should check out The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

Published by Sourcebooks Landmard, 2019
eBook purchased
320 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed has an interesting premise in which the government has gone a bit mad. It seems there are criminals, but there is a whole other category of people called Flawed -- those who have committed some moral indiscretion. It was a bit too much for me to believe.

There is a separate court that determines if you are Flawed, and let's just say, if you appear before that court, you are certain to be deemed Flawed. There are "whistle blowers" who turn people in. And if you are Flawed, you must be branded, wear a red arm band with an "F" on it, and your rights in society are severely limited. This is for your entire life. You are never freed, and your family suffers because of it.

Celestine is our main character. She's always been the good girl and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when she assists an old man who is having trouble breathing, her entire life changes, because that man was Flawed and you are not allowed to aid or assist a Flawed person.

So not only is this system strange and unbelievable, it turns out there is corruption and Celestine  suffers because of it. She unwillingly becomes the poster child against the Flawed system. People are pushing her in different directions, and she can trust no one. But she also is kind of indecisive and doesn't always make good decisions. She is young, so I can get over that.

Flawed moves at a quick pace and kept me engaged. I did want to know what was going to happen, even as my eyes were rolling because I just couldn't buy this absurd premise. So I have mixed feelings. The book was entertaining, but just went a bit beyond my capabilities to really accept this system of government. Flawed ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm not sure how I feel about spending time in this world for the rest of the series.

I think teens might buy into Flawed more than I did. It is a bit political, but for the right reader, this might be part of the appeal. It's easy to read and may elicit some emotion.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, April 5, 2016
eARC obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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