Review: The Sound of Gravel

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A memoir that, while difficult to imagine, is riveting reading. If you're feeling depressed about your life, this story is a wake-up call. I do recommend if you enjoy reality versus fiction.

View all my reviews

Review: The Nest

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A story I really enjoyed reading. The author kept the chapters short with an even flow of events and characters that are easy to imagine. Hard to put down and easy to read. Wouldn't be surprised to find this as a movie in a few years. Highly recommend.

View all my reviews

Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I did enjoy reading this because it was "light" in comparison to the previous couple of bookclub books. I felt a bit out-of-place at times though, as the author refers to quite a number of other books which I have not read. The underlying story though is nice, and the ending satisfactory.
Hart Park Bookclub December 15, 2016 - Carolyn



View all my reviews

Review: The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not as engaging as I expected. Typically historical fiction affords me the opportunity to gain knowledge about a time period and location, but I didn't get much from this novel. I did however enjoy the "I didn't see that coming" story lines.

View all my reviews

Review: About the Night

About the Night by Anat Talshir
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Historically I enjoyed the depiction of life in Jerusalem after WWII. Much like Berlin, it was divided causing heartache for those whose lives were put on hold. The fictional love story though was a bit like too much sweet frosting on a piece of cake. Not sorry I read it, but doubt it will stick with me for long.

View all my reviews

Review: The House We Grew Up In

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book very hard to put down. The story is compelling with quite a few "I didn't see that coming" moments. This is an excellent story; quite modern in the issues brought up; and I am looking forward to the book club's discussion. So glad it was chosen.

Hart Park Book Club November 17, 2016 - Joyce

View all my reviews

Review: Gracelin O'Malley

Gracelin O'Malley by Ann Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed this story enough to read the 2nd in this trilogy.

View all my reviews

Review: America's First Daughter

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As my 4 stars indicate, I really liked this book. The author put me right into the time frame of Thomas Jefferson. Written through the eyes of his daughter (who I sometimes liked and sometimes hated) I learned about life during and after the American and French revolutions. The early years of our country certainly had its growing pains. The historical elements were fascinating and the fiction believable. I think it is a great "discussion" book, but being 500+ pages I'm hesitant to recommend it to my book club. If you do read it, please share your thoughts as I'm interested in with others think.

View all my reviews

Review: Barkskins

Barkskins by Annie Proulx
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Don't remember what drew me to this novel. Perhaps the concept of a multi-generational story about early settlers and the indigenous people of Canada and New England. Probably the historical fiction element is the draw. I do enjoy learning about history. "Barkskins" is fiction as it relates to people; however historical and factual as it relates to the logging industry. The theme is strongly slanted towards the irreparable harm caused when European's came to the "new world" and changed the landscapes to make room for themselves and their growing families. Harm not only to the forests; but also to the American Indians and their way of life. Bottom line, while I did like this novel, I am cautious about recommending it due to its length of 700+ pages. It could be an interesting drama "series" in the future.

View all my reviews

Review: The Things We Wish Were True

The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A perfect book for when you want something to keep you occupied. It is not likely to win any literary awards; but I do see this as a future "book club" suggestion. You'll keep reading to see what happens next in this written "soap-opera". Try it - you'll like it! Also it is free for the month of August for Amazon prime members.

View all my reviews

Review: Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another WWII story, but this time in the eyes of the British. I enjoy the writing style as well as the characters. The first half of the book was so-so as far as the story of life in London during the war. The last half really brought the war to life; both in London and on the island of Malta. Quite disturbing to learn of the hardships and how much a human can withstand. War is hell.

View all my reviews

Review: The Wild Girl

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Historical Fiction love story grabbed me. The writing provides vivid images of life in the time of Napoleon's reign in Europe. Life was such a struggle for most. This is the story of Dortchen Wild who lives next door to the young and handsome fair-tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. The author weaves many "tales" throughout the novel. My only critique is the length - it could have been shorter without losing any of the magic.

Hart Park Bookclub September 15, 2016 - Karen

View all my reviews

Review: The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust

The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just noticed this is available today as an Amazon E-Book for $1.99 if you're interested.

Never thought I'd like, or even bother reading another Holocaust book; however this nonfiction book was well worth my time. This story is told by a Jewish woman survivor who took numerous chances to hide her identity in order to survive. It provides background on ordinary people during extraordinary times. It reads much like an historical novel but knowing it is nonfiction gave it more credibility. This is a Hart Park Book Club selection to be discussed April, 2015.

View all my reviews

Review: Wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW!

View all my reviews

Review: The Sandcastle Girls

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading something new will always grab me. None of my history books covered the genocide of the one and a half million Armenian people in 1915-1916. So terrible it makes today's Syrian refugee crisis seem trivial in comparison. I am looking forward to the Hart Park Book Club discussion on October 20, 2016 (Laurie). I took several pages of notes to keep track of the many characters as they moved in and out of the story. The title doesn't make much sense; and while well researched, I find the writing style a bit fractured. Nevertheless it deserves 4 stars because of the subject matter.


View all my reviews

Review: The Sandcastle Girls

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading something new will always grab me. None of my history books covered the genocide of the one and a half million Armenian people in 1915-1916. So terrible it makes today's Syrian refugee crisis seem trivial in comparison. I am looking forward to the Hart Park Book Club discussion on October 20, 2016 (Laurie). I took several pages of notes to keep track of the many characters as they moved in and out of the story. The title doesn't make much sense; and while well researched, I find the writing style a bit fractured. Nevertheless it deserves 4 stars because of the subject matter.


View all my reviews

Review: Three-Martini Lunch

Three-Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Highly recommend this interesting story about New York City in the late 1950's. Three young people trying to make it in the world of publishing. Do not judge this book by its title...the author should have come up with something much better. The ending has some surprises which I do enjoy.

View all my reviews

Review: Little Big Man

Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Stars - I really enjoyed this. Will be watching the movie again later in month on TCM.

View all my reviews

Review: The Last Woman Standing

The Last Woman Standing by Thelma Adams
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

While the concept of Wyatt Earp's love interest and later wife during the OK Corral saga sounds like a wonderful story, I did not care for the writing - too sappy for my taste. There were times when I wanted to just slap her! (not the author, but Josephine Marcus the main character) I think I'll stop reading the free once-a-month books offered through Amazon Prime. They sound appealing, but I wish I had spent time reading something else on my "to-read" list.

View all my reviews

Review: Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America

Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by T.J. Stiles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you enjoy reading in-depth biographies as well as history I recommend this book. It is fact, not fiction, based from letters, and published articles from the time period. I enjoyed this book because it taught me about the social and political climate during and after the Civil War. I became enlightened about the bigotry and resistance to integration by the Democratic party as well as a faction of the Republican party; not only to African Americans, but to American Indians and Chinese as well. The book also covered how corrupt the government had become. The author does a great job uncovering Custer's complex personality. The time period continues to fascinate me - I expect to search for more reading materials based on the time period of 1860 to about 1875. A short time period, but so much happened in America.

View all my reviews

Review: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my...where do I start? I truly enjoyed Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove" decided to give his second novel a read too. As in his first novel, he continues to write with the same charm only instead of a elderly man, this one has an elderly woman. This grandmother is about as sassy as one can be, and is as close to her "almost eight-year old" granddaughter as possible.

The story moves on through a series of fairy tales told from grandma to granddaughter and is actually a road map for the almost eight-year old to use once grandma isn't around.

This novel is much like those of Neil Gaiman. Not quite real but yet very real. I loved reading it and do highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading Backman's third novel "Britt-Marie Was Here".

View all my reviews

Review: Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob by William Landay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story line of "Defending Jacob" reminded me a lot of "The Dinner" except the characters aren't quite so despicable. The ending came as a complete surprise - didn't see that coming.

View all my reviews

Review: Life and Other Near-Death Experiences

Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagán
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A story written for women, but unlike most "chick lit" books, I do recommend this one if you enjoy a light love story that will likely bring tears before it is over.

View all my reviews

Review: The Tsar of Love and Techno

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I devoured this book. A series of short stories tied together by a 19th century Russian painting that alternates between tragedy and comedy. Highly recommend if you enjoy something a bit deeper than typical fiction. Read more in this NPR books review: http://www.npr.org/2015/10/06/4450349...


View all my reviews

Review: Star Sand

Star Sand by Roger Pulvers
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Story line quite interesting; however something was lacking.

View all my reviews

Review: Sugar

Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a "young adult" novel however I did enjoy it...but not so much at first. The story is about addiction - in this particular case to sugar. The 17-year old girl nicknamed "Sugar", tells the story of one year in her life with her obese mother and brothers (Skunk & Fat Henry) in an awful environment. Nothing fun at the beginning; but then someone enters her life which caused me to keep moving on to the next chapters. At first I thought about giving it 2 stars; but now that I've finished I'm very comfortable with a 4 star rating. There are a few twists and turns I didn't see coming which I do enjoy. If you enjoy reading a book that will stick with you, I do recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Review: Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power

Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power by Mary Mapes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After watching the movie "Truth" starring Cate Blanchett & Robert Redford I was intrigued enough to read the book. The movie is based on the book and is a dramatic re-creation of news anchor Dan Rather's fall from grace, after erroneously reporting that President George W. Bush received preferential treatment that kept him from serving in Vietnam. The book is written by and is more about Mary Mapes, an executive producer for "60 Minutes" that worked with Dan Rather. While I don't doubt the story as Mary tells it, she does not come across as a likable person. I do recommend the movie over the book if you have interest in the topic.

View all my reviews

Finding the empty glass bottle of tequila next to my car put me over the edge

The Monday Morning Belle's bowling league season will end in a couple of weeks. We started earlier than normal this past Monday at AMF Bowlero's request to accommodate Firemen who hold an event once a year at noon. So we finished early. When I left I noticed an empty tequila bottle three feet from my car door. It was not there when I arrived at 8:45 a.m. I picked it up, thought about taking it inside, but instead put it in my car and disposed of it myself.  

That seemingly small piece of litter should haven't gotten to me; but it was just one more black mark against AMF's Bowlero. Their staff do as little as possible and I've had enough. I decided to write down all of the issues which then quickly turned into a rather nasty review of my experiences. Now, I could have written a letter to the management with my complaints, but quite frankly it would have never been noticed. In the past I have respectfully voiced my complaints with their staff but nothing ever changed. I decided an online review might get noticed. I posted the following to Yelp and Trip Adviser:

"Drive into the Bowlero parking lot and dodge pot holes; standing water (ice in winter) broken glass and empty liquor bottles. Walk to the door avoiding the vomit covered sidewalk, only to find the doors are locked. Retrieve ball and shoes from locker to find the roof had leaked lockers had flooded causing soaked bowling shoes, unfit for bowling.  Argue with counter staff about providing rental shoes only to find they are in such bad condition they also are unfit for bowling. Spend $60 on a brand new pair of bowling shoes for one day. Plan on wearing a coat inside establishment year round due to bad climate control. Climate is typically too cold or on occasion too warm. Expect bowling ball to come back with chips and scratches requiring repair at least once during season. Call counter for missing balls returns, resetting pins, out of alignment rack only to be ignored because no one is manning the counter. Allow non league bowling in alleys next to league bowling when there are empty alleys elsewhere in establishment. Race to bathroom between games only to find stall doors without latches; toilets unable to be flushed; water faucet not working; or empty soap or towel dispensers. Reward good league bowling with free game passes or bowling bucks that expire a week or two later. Cancel league at last minute; change start time; or move league to different lanes to accommodate a group that comes in once a year. Misunderstand the definition of "banquet" and offer to make up for the last minute league cancellation by paying for bowling banquet consisting of pizza or sandwiches.  Not returning next season."

It didn't take too long. Today I did receive a response from "Alice - Customer Service" 

"Hey Carol- Please accept our deepest apologies for your negative experience at AMF.  We strive to bring the best in bowling to every one of our guests and we are sorry to hear your experience did not live up to the values and standards that you've come to expect from AMF. Your comments regarding your encounter are very important to us and we've sent them along to our corporate operations team who will take appropriate action. Again, we apologize and thank you for bringing this to our attention and hope you will give us a second chance!”

I don't know who Alice is. Perhaps she'll introduce herself to me before our season ends. There  aren't too many "Carols" in my league.  Whatever - it isn't going to make a difference. Once the season ends at the end of April I'll not be returning to AMF Bowlero.

Review: One Plus One

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

If "chick-lit" is your thing - you'll enjoy this one.

View all my reviews

Review: A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is amazing. I found myself smiling quite a bit while moving through the story. Several very interesting characters and the ending did not disappoint. Highly recommend for both men and women to read.

View all my reviews

Review: The Lost Wife

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked "The Lost Wife" mostly because it was so easy to read - a great "page-turner". I gave it 4 stars and not 5 because the subject matter is not new to me. If you enjoy reading about the Holocaust be sure to pick this one up.

View all my reviews

So what's new?

It has been awhile since I've written something other than a book review. Thought I'd write about some changes going on.

No more Tuesday "Craft Club" through the Milwaukee Rec. While I've enjoyed the past three years at the weekly Craft Club, I decided to give that a break for awhile. The crafts have been repetitive and I've outgrown most of them. Another reason has to do with the majority of the group's political rancor. I don't wish to listen to it. Perhaps I'll give the club a try once again but not until the January, 2017 semester - the presidential election will be over by then.

No more Thursday "Mixed Media Class" through the Hart Park Senior Center. I gave that a try for four months late last year and just didn't feel I was learning enough. Some stuff was inspirational and I enjoyed the people in the class, but I decided to find something else.

No more bi-monthly "Book Club" with family and friends. The number of active participants is dwindling to where it doesn't make much sense to continue. It was fun while it lasted though. One of the most satisfying things that came from the nine years is how the dynamics between the generations changed. I no longer thought of some of the members as "my daughter's friend" or my friend's daughter; instead I think of them all as my friend.

Less Bowling. I plan on dropping one of my two weekly bowling leagues but this won't happen until next fall. I've decided to bowl once a week on a three-person team. I may stay with the current Friday morning league as it is a three-person team, or find a new league somewhere else next fall. My bowling isn't going very well; partly because I'm developing arthritis in my fingers, especially my thumb. I just had the thumb hole drilled a little larger to accommodate the deformity. Second time within a year I've had to do this.

New - Watercolor Painting. Now that I have opened up my days a bit, I enrolled in the WCTC Watercolor Painting Class eight-week basic's class. It is held on Wednesday's at the Fox Brook Park pavilion which is a great location for me. Once the "basic" class is over, I'll be taking the next eight-week "Continuing" watercolor class. This type of instruction is good for my learning curve. I've had some success with watercolor painting but it's been mostly by copying something on YouTube. I really do enjoy the solitude of going upstairs in the early mornings with a cup of coffee, NPR on the radio, and seeing what I can create with water and paint.

More Photography. I do love this more and more. I've begun processing my RAW photos through Adobe's Lightroom and am learning more and more about that program each time I use it. I'm preparing for the next State Fair competition; have entered the Bristol Renaissance Faire competition; and usually participate in a weekly assignment online via Flicker. Unfortunately I had a mishap with my FujiX100S - it is in New Jersey being fixed right now.

Looking forward to the golf season. Last summer I joined a league and struggled, but started to come around mid-August. Let's hope the weather gods are good this year. Our season begins May 5th.

Staying Home - Being busy is okay, but I really do love having a few days a week where I can just stay home and do housework, bake, or see how many Zombies I can destroy on our new X Box One.

Review: Becoming Marta

Becoming Marta by Lorea Canales
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A free book from Amazon Prime - now I know why it was free.

View all my reviews

Review: The Man in the High Castle

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I held off on providing feedback until after the "Book Club" discussion. I was the only one who seemed to enjoy this book but then again I did read it twice. Being written in the early 1960's I believe the author was probably under the influence of LSD or something. The writing certainly was bizarre however the premise of Germany and Japan winning WWII and what life might be like afterward was quite interesting. If you do attempt this, I recommend keeping a list of the characters as they are introduced. It helped me tremendously the 2nd time I read it. The Amazon series based on this is excellent. Similar characters, however the story follows a different path. Because I doubt I'll ever forget this story, I am willing to give it a rare 5 star rating.

View all my reviews

Review: Day After Night

Day After Night by Anita Diamant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My third book by Anita Diamant was not disappointing. In this historical fiction story she refers to something that truly happened in 1945. I found it amazing as I had never heard about how Great Britain treated undocumented immigrants after WWII. I do plan to research more about "Atlit" a holding camp for "illegal" immigrants in Israel in 1945.

View all my reviews

Review: Peace Like a River

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every accolade written about this book is true. The best one on front cover: "Peace Like a River serves as a reminder of why we read fiction to begin with". The story is a treat and I found myself looking forward to picking it up several times a day, and slowing down as it ended to savor the conclusion. I only read it because it was picked for February's Hart Park Senior Center book club. Amazed I had not heard about it before - it was published in 2001. Highly recommend if you enjoy reading about wonderful characters and marvelous prose. This book is magical.

View all my reviews

Review: A Death in Sweden

A Death in Sweden by Kevin Wignall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My December free Kindle book from Amazon didn't disappoint. It did keep me up later than usual as it is a page-turner. Couldn't stop when a chapter ended - had to see what happened next!

View all my reviews