Book Review: Seabiscuit: An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand

After reading Unbroken several years ago, I realized I had Seabiscuit, also by Hillenbrand, and decided I should read it. I'm glad I finally did.

I'm not even a horse racing fan, but I really enjoy the way Hillenbrand tells a story. She has a way of building the tension and excitement that is unique.

We are introduced to the original owners of Seabiscuit and then told how he ended up with the Howards, who eventually were successful. We are introduced to the trainer (Smith), and the jockey (Pollard). And then we follow them through the training, and race by race, through the ups and downs of Seabiscuit's inconceivable career. 

We are also introduced to the atmosphere of early horse racing, where jockeys took their lives in their hands every time they went out. Not to mention the starvation in order to make weight. Pollard suffered several life-threatening injuries, which each time used up all of his savings and then some. During some of this time, Seabiscuit had a different jockey, Woolf, who was also famous. It was a brutal, dangerous life.

Seabiscuit's rise to fame took place during the Depression when the public needed some distraction. And boy was he a distraction. People would come from all over to watch him race and the race tracks were overflowing. If you weren't watching him, you were listening to the races on the radio.

Some sections were perhaps a bit too detailed for me, but most of the time, I couldn't put Seabiscuit down. Like I said, it's the way she tells the story. So if you are a fan of Hillenbrand, even if you aren't a horse fan, you should consider this book. Even without the horses, it's a fascinating look at a unique aspect of the Depression.

Published by Random House, 2001 
Copy obtained from my library (not sure where I got it)
347 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Audiobook Review: The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave

The Last Thing He Told Me was a good audiobook choice for my husband and me to listen to on a recent road trip. We both enjoyed it.

Hannah's husband, Owen, has suddenly disappeared from his software programming job, and the CEO of the company has been arrested. Hannah knows that there is more to the story. She can't believe her husband was involved in anything illegal. Owen's only contact is a note smuggled to Hannah reading "Protect her."

"Her" is Owen's daughter, Bailey, who wants nothing to do with Hannah. But after a visit from a federal marshall and the FBI, Hannah decides to take matters into her own hands and takes Bailey to find out the real story about her father. And what they find out is stunning.

I found the story a bit slow at the beginning, but once they are off on their investigation, it really takes off. The twists and turns are startling. And the ending, well, happy? Maybe. But not perfect.

The Last Thing He Told Me was entertainment. And it seemed pretty short for an audiobook. The narrator, Rebecca Lowman, did a great job. Most of the voices were distinct, but not over the top.

If you are in the mood for a twisty thriller that will surely hold some surprises, you should consider The Last Thing He Told Me.

Published by Simon & Schuster, 2021
Audiobook obtained from the library
320 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Audiobook Review: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

I haven't been much up for World War II books, and The Librarian of Auschwitz about did me in, but I loved The Rose Code.

The Rose Code tells the story of three women who worked to help decode Enigma Machine messages at Bletchley Park in England. Osla, the debutante who is dating Prince Philip, can speak German. Mab came from a life of poverty and put herself through secretarial school. These two are recruited in 1940  because of their skills. They are billeted at a local home where Beth, who is the daughter of a domineering mother, is great at solving puzzles. So the girls recruit her, and she becomes one of the best cryptographers at Bletchley Park. These three become unlikely friends.

The other perspective is from 1947, and we are days from the Royal Wedding where Princess Elizabeth is to marry Prince Philip. And it soon becomes apparent that our three main characters are no longer friends, and actually hate each other. One of them is in an asylum, wrongfully, and sends a message to the other two for help.

As the two time periods converge, we realize the huge betrayals that caused their rift. And will the two come and help the third one get out of the asylum? As the story is told we also learn a lot about the operation at Bletchley Park and what was involved in the code-breaking -- some of it was quite complex and I didn't get it all, but it didn't matter. There is drama, romance, heartbreak, and of course a lot of secrets.

The epilogue and author's notes really brought it all together. The characters are all based on real people. Bletchley Park is now on my bucket list of places I want to visit. I found it all very fascinating, but also entertaining. I loved the characters and rooted for them. The tension builds nicely to the satisfying ending.

The audio version, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, was excellent. I highly recommend The Rose Code, even if you aren't really into war books right now.

Published by William Morrow, 2021, HarperAudio
Audiobook obtained from the library
656 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Violeta, by Isabel Allende

Violeta is the story of the life of a woman of that name. It is an amazing story, told by an amazing writer.

Violeta is born in 1920 in an unnamed country in South America. The war is not long over, and the Spanish flu is just taking hold. The story is written as a letter to a loved one, but the identity of the person is not revealed until much later in the story.

She lives in the city and her family is well off, so Violeta is fairly happy as a child. They hire a young woman from Ireland to be her nanny/governess. When the depression hits, her family loses everything and must escape to live with some relatives in the country. Through it all, Violeta adapts and mostly thrives. 

She lives for over 100 years and dies during the current pandemic. So she sees another world war, as well as political upheaval in her country. Along the way she falls in love, and out of love, maybe a couple of times. She remains close to her family and always helps them when she can.

It is a beautiful story and was so easy to read. Allende just has a way of writing that makes you fly through the pages. I should probably give some credit to the translator, as Violeta was originally written in another language. Spanish? I'm not sure. But it reads so incredibly easily. I will read anything Allende writes.

If you've never read anything by Allende, Violeta is a good place to start, although I also really loved Daughter of Fortune. In any case, I highly recommend this author.

Published by Ballentine, January 25, 2022
eARC obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins

At times a bit far-fetched, Kingdom of Bones is an edge-of-your-seat thriller!

The book takes place in the Congo, which is mostly a thick jungle full of bugs and snakes and many other deadly things I don't like to think about. And Rollins makes the setting come alive. Then there are the genetically altered beasts which turn the usually annoying ants into deadly virus-carrying little animals. And there are many other animals that have changed, which makes this whole story even more creepy.

I kept wanting to say, "No! Turn back! You can't keep going under these conditions!" But of course, they do keep going. After all, the fate of the world is in their hands. And not only the virus and the jungle, but there is also a bad guy who is using everything he has to stop them. And he has a lot to use.

Kingdom of Bones is the 22nd book in the Sigma Force series, and I think I may have read one other. It didn't matter for the story, even though I'm sure there are a lot of backstories I don't know. 

So, yeah, this one is about a deadly virus. Rollins discusses his concerns about publishing this book in the introduction. It does cause you to stop and think about what we as humans may be doing to cause these pandemics. But it is also a very entertaining romp, with characters that at least some people are familiar with.  And I loved the technology and weaponry that is used. And the dog, of course. If you can handle the subject matter, Kindom of Bones is worth it.

Published by William Morrow, April 19, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
464 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Audiobook Review: The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

It's been so long since I've read a book that I love as much as The Nature of Fragile Things. It just punches all the right buttons for me.

It takes place in the early 1900s, and Sophie, an immigrant from Ireland, is miserable in her tenement in New York City. She answers an ad for a mail-order bride and heads to San Francisco to marry a man with a young daughter who she has never met.

The man, Martin, is kind but distant. He doesn't seem to want to have a close relationship with Sophie but provides well for her and his 5-year-old daughter, Kat. Kat doesn't speak since her mother died from tuberculosis, but she is easy for Sophie to love.

Martin travels a lot for his work selling insurance. Sophie is a bit lonely in her large house and tries to make friends with a neighbor lady and her young son, but since Sophie is obviously lower class, it doesn't go well. Everything explodes when a young woman comes to Sophie's door looking for her husband who apparently works with Martin.

I'll not go any farther with the plot, but here is what I loved. 

• The characters are sympathetic, and I easily became attached
• The setting is so vivid, it puts you in San Francisco in the 1900s
• The description of the 1906 earthquake and its aftermath. It felt real, and I learned much
• The depiction of tuberculosis and how it was treated and kept from spreading
• One of the evilest bad guys I've ever read. Chilling.

Also, the narrator, Alana Kerr Collins, had the most beautiful Irish brogue that made it easier to listen to and really added to the story.

The huge coincidence at the end, although far-fetched, just put the icing on the cake. I'm partial to historical fiction, but The Nature of Fragile Things had so much more. The story hooked me right away, and I couldn't stop listening. Highly recommended.

Published by Berkley, 2021, audio by Penguin
Audiobook obtained from the library
384 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

I'm not sure what drew me to this title, but I haven't read much science fiction lately, and I really enjoyed Mickey7.

Mickey is an "expendable." He's on a long journey to colonize a new planet. He's expendable because if he dies, they have a copy of his DNA, complete with memories, so that he can be regenerated.  This is really helpful for dangerous missions, but dying isn't fun.

The seventh version of Mickey is on one of those missions and is left for dead. But he manages to return to the bubble where they are trying to survive on a most inhospitable planet. When he returns to his bunk, there is Mickey8, fresh out of the regenerator.

This is a problem for several reasons. If anyone finds out, they will both be thrown into the regenerator. Everyone is on survival rations, and now the two Mickeys have to share. And, the most obvious problem, in my opinion, is how are they supposed to get around and do their duties on the ship? This was the biggest flaw in the plot. They are both out of their room at the same time. One on duty, one doing something else. They don't know each other's experiences. Seven has a wrist injury, and 8 doesn't even seem to care to fake it. Neither of them is very careful or concerned enough. Of course, they are going to be discovered, but how soon?

The premise of the expendables is interesting. They are loathed by some as an abomination, and therefore much discriminated against. The terraforming on this ice-covered planet is going badly. Food is scarce. The wormlike native creatures are beginning to attack. Will Mickey save the day?

Mickey7 is exciting, if a bit far-fetched, and kept my interest. It has been compared to The Martian, and even if it doesn't live up to the comparison, it is entertaining. And it's going to be a movie starring Robert Pattinson. If you like the terraforming, survival, overcoming the natives type of sci-fi, you'll like Mickey7. 

Published by St. Martin's, February 15, 2022
eARC obtained from NetGalley and Edelweiss+
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

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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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