Author: SamanthaWho

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

~ SamanthaWho ~ 3 Comments

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne TylerA Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler is a well-written novel, but I couldn’t really see the point. What’s the punch line? What is Tyler trying to tell us? Why did she write down this story in particular? I’m still not quite sure.

In this story, Tyler brings us the Whitshank family, in a novel spanning four generations who have lived in the same well-loved Baltimore home. Through these characters we experience the emotional ups and downs that come with life.

I enjoyed the interactions between the family, the good, the bad and the ugly. On the other hand though, there were sections of the book during which I caught myself glazing over. It seemed like Tyler was building up to some major event but then the “huge” event didn’t happen.

In the end, the Whitshanks learn that no matter what happens, they can always go home.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

~ SamanthaWho ~ 4 Comments

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieAmericanah, written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is an excellent read and I hope to do it justice with this review.

Americanah brings light to issues of race and self-discovery through the story of Ifemelu and Obinze. Growing up in military-ruled Nigeria, Ifemelu and Obinze were raised looking towards futures abroad, moving to America or Europe to study and begin a career.

 

One of my favorite quotes from the book explains this mentality of searching outside their native country for opportunities:

“…the need to escape from the oppressive lethargy of choicelessness. They would not understand why people like him, who were raised well fed and watered but mired in dissatisfaction, conditioned from birth to look towards somewhere else, eternally convinced that real lives happened in that somewhere else, were now resolved to do dangerous things, illegal things, so as to leave, none of them starving, or raped, or from burned villages, but merely hungry for choice and certainty,” (pg. 341).

This is a smart novel that really made me think. I was engaged and eager to see where both Ifemelu and Obinze’s journeys would lead them. The frustration and helplessness of their experiences starting out in new countries had me gripping the book. Despite working incredibly hard, they seemed unable to get their footing.

One particularly interesting aspect of this book is the blog that Ifemelu creates to discuss issues of race and life as an immigrant in America. She has always had a problem containing her opinion, especially in inappropriate situations, but that’s what makes her so great- her ability to speak up when others won’t.

Americanah is a love story, a story of self-discovery, and a story of speaking honestly and openly.

Sunday Spotlight: Kate Morton

~ SamanthaWho ~ 8 Comments

I’m really excited today because it’s the first post of my Sunday Spotlight series! Through these posts, I want to showcase incredible authors and spread their stories.

First up: Kate MortonKate Morton

Kate Morton is a wonder, her stories transporting readers into other worlds and times. I have read two of her historical fiction novels and was very impressed by her ability to sweep me away with the story. An incredibly talented author, Morton brings us stories set across the globe including settings in both England and Australia.

Morton’s books are not short, but she gives them the space needed to develop and creates twisting plotlines that keep you hooked.

The Secret Keeper by Kate MortonThe Secret Keeper by Kate Morton was an incredible read with shocking plot twists. The story focuses on Laurel, a modern day woman attempting to trace her mother’s mysterious past after remembering a crime she witnessed as a child in her family home. The story switches between Laurel in the present and flashbacks of England during the chaotic aftermath of World War II. I was completely STUNNED by a twist at the end of the story, a jaw dropping finish that left me with my mouth hanging open.

That fact that I couldn’t put The Secret Keeper down while studying abroad in Italy, only goes to show how great this story is.

The Forgotten Garden By Kate MortonThe Forgotten Garden is another great story of Morton’s with a woven plot split between narratives of 3 women, Cassandra, her grandmother Nell and a mysterious woman from Nell’s past.

The death of her grandmother sends Cassandra on a journey to trace Nell’s past, who was found abandoned on a dock at four years old. Not only does Cassandra find the truth about her ancestry, she finds a way to heal after a heartbreaking accident that left her alone in the world.

I highly recommend reading Kate Morton’s novels and I would love to hear whether any of you have read her work!

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

~ SamanthaWho ~ 3 Comments

I’m a bit behind the game and only just finished Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg. Despite being reminded of this one by friends and business professors for the past couple of years, I only just got to it. Throughout the book, Sandberg shares many personal insights into the high power business positions that she has held, at places including Google, Facebook, and the United States Treasury Department. She is a strong role model for all, both women and men, young and old, to be ambitious in whatever you do and to lean in. Regardless of whether that ambition is to stay home or to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

One of the key points that Sandberg makes is to pick a partner who supports your decisions and vice versa. She mentions her husband Dave many times throughout the book, explaining that he is the reason that she is able to do what she does. It is heartbreaking to read these passages of love and gratitude while knowing that her husband, Dave Goldberg, passed away earlier this year. My heart goes out to Sandberg and her family.

Lean In is a great read (and not too long, a bit under 200 pages) teaching us to lean in with everything we’ve got.

To watch Sandberg’s TED talk (with over 5 million views!) click here.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

~ SamanthaWho ~ 2 Comments

Despite seeing The Vacationers by Emma Straub on many fiction recommendation lists, I’ve also heard from many of my friends that they couldn’t finish it. Despite these non-recommendations, I decided to take a swing at it myself. Warning – there are a few spoilers in this review, nothing to give away the whole plot, but enough to explain my review.

The Vacationers runs pretty much how one would expect based off the title. This is the story of the Posts, a family traveling on a predictable vacation and while being cooped together, drama inevitably arises.

What disappointed me the most about this book was how predictable each character is. First there’s the moody teenage daughter who is uncomfortable in her own skin and thus criticizes everyone else throughout the entire trip. Then you have the verging on 30-year-old son who is not only an immature bimbo, but he has gotten himself $150,000 dollars in debt. Next up we have the father, who so predictably cheated on his wife with the blonde (of course she is) 23-year-old assistant at his office. Lastly, there’s the mother. Cheery Franny puts on a brave face in front of her children while giving her husband the cold shoulder (rightfully so) behind closed doors.

As with most family vacations, the characters were forced to spend time together and to face their problems. In a feel good ending, the Post family finds their way back to each other. All in all, a fine story, but I did get through to the end of the book and that’s worth something.

National Book Lovers Day

~ SamanthaWho ~ 10 Comments

Happy National Book Lovers Day from Washington State, USA. In honor of this lovely (and cheesy) celebration, I want to share 10 of my all time favorite books. These are stories that have stuck with me over the years, revisiting during idle moments.

  • The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay
  • The Girl with the Dragon tattoo – Stieg Larsson
  • The Kitchen House – Kathleen Grissom
  • The Chaperone – Laura Moriarty
  • Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
  • A Hundred Summers – Beatriz Williams
  • Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty
  • Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
  • Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand
  • The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins

Book reviews on these stories to come! How are you all showing your love for books today?

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

~ SamanthaWho ~ 2 Comments

Don’t judge this book by its shabby cover, like the ones found on communal shelves of cozy B&B’s around the world. A bit slow to start, Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy is a good book that kept me going through all 596 pages of it.

This was the first novel of Binchy’s that I have read and it won’t be the last. Binchy does a great job of developing characters across a wide range of ages, personalities and social classes in the mid-1900’s in Ireland.

The story begins with Eve and Benny, opposites in appearance, parentage, and personalities, and yet they become inseparable friends. One, an orphan, and the other, a smothered only child, head to university in Dublin, only a bus ride away from their small country hometown. At university the two girls are quickly swept into a circle of friends (hence the book title). The plot quickly becomes tangled with romance and heartbreak, ambition and failure, loyalty and betrayal. Binchy does a great job of bringing the characters to life, so much so that I was rooting for the fiercely loyal duo the whole way through.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

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To be honest, I wanted to like this book more than I did. After hearing many positive reviews, some even claiming this to be the best fiction book of the year, I was excited to get my hands on a copy. Despite being a well-written story with thorough descriptions and a twisting plotline, The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, was not as engaging as I had hoped.

This is the story of Frances, a woman living with her mother just outside of London in the 1920’s following World War I. After several tragic family losses, the two women must take on boarders to bring in much-needed income. With these boarders comes a whirlwind of forbidden love, drama, and decisions that they quickly realize cannot be reversed.

While I admire Frances as a strong character who has given up a life to support her mother, I became frustrated with her decisions later on in the book. Frances and her fellow characters repeatedly made selfish decisions and refused to take responsibility for them; resulting in what I feel to be a weakened story.

Despite my personal displeasure with this story, it is one of forbidden love and shows us the toll that guilt can take on a person.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

~ SamanthaWho ~ 5 Comments

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For a gripping page-turner, choose Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. This is one of the first books I think of when I’m asked for a reading recommendation this summer. The sharp humor and twisting plotline kept me so engaged that I didn’t realize the story was over when I had turned onto the last page. The Luckiest Girl Alive is the story of Ani, a woman living the perfect life in New York City, with the fiancé of her dreams and an editor’s position at a fancy woman’s magazine. If you think that this sounds too good to be true, then you would be correct. Ani has spent her entire life trying to fit into a mold of perfection while simultaneously despising the people who she so desperately wants to fit in with.

From childhood flashbacks, we learn that Ani’s life of cunning ambition has been fueled by horrifyingly traumatic experiences at her expensive prep school full of bullies and hormones. Knoll does a fantastic job of illustrating the inner turmoil and pressures that Ani, and so many other women, feel to “have it all” while simultaneously appearing effortless.

Luckiest Girl Alive has the dark and twisted feel of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn combined with the dramatic school moments of Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight and popular TV series, Gossip Girl. Through Ani’s tough exterior and go get ‘em attitude, Knoll has created a character that was just trying to fit in all along.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an exciting and unpredictable mystery about a desperate woman living a lie.

Tiny Little Things by Beatriz Williams

~ SamanthaWho ~ 2 Comments

After reading four books by Beatriz Williams, I am still surprised that she isn’t a better-known author. I went into a local bookstore this afternoon and was shocked to find that none of her work was on the shelf. Williams is a brilliant author with a skill for drawing in the reader quickly and wholeheartedly. When reading her books I find myself completely engaged in the story as though I am living it alongside the lifelike characters.

The latest work of Williams, Tiny Little Things, is the story of Tiny, a girl who has always done what is expected of her. That is, until now. Her marriage to an up and coming political figure paired with her picture-perfect appearance catapult her into the world of politics and power. This spot in the limelight brings trouble for Tiny as she is blackmailed, comes face to face with a man from her past, and realizes that the wealthy family she has joined has their own share of dirty secrets.

I highly recommend this one and my only complaint with Tiny Little Things is that it isn’t long enough.

One last treat, Williams has intertwined her stories so that characters from each one appear in other books, a surprise that is just subtle enough to go by unnoticed.