"My Beloved World" by Sonia Sotomayor

I found Sonia Sotomayor’s book very inspiring for several reasons. Sonia came from a very difficult environment, growing up with an alcoholic father and a mother who was so focused on providing for her family that she did not have a lot of time to dedicate to her children. Sonia also has struggled with incurable disease from early childhood. However, poverty, illness, and family problems did not deter her from pursuing her life’s dream of becoming a judge. I was also struck by her humility and sincerity. She talks about difficult and very personal subjects in a very unassuming and approachable manner. I felt like I could really relate to some of the circumstances of her life. She also tackles and provides her take on such topics as affirmative action, bi-lingual education and status of Puerto Rico. Her book helped me better understand issues surrounding these topics and see the situation through her eyes. I also appreciated the way she described the role her extended family played in her life: particularly her grandmother, as well as aunts and cousins. I do believe Sonia’s story could be a great inspiration for girls everywhere, especially those who come from diverse backgrounds, difficult family and economic situations, as well as those who struggle with a chronic ailment. I read this book for a book club we have at work. I think this book is great for discussions on a whole range of topics. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel

"Station Eleven" is a sci-fi novel written from the point of view of several different characters whose lives become intertwined as the human race faces a pandemic unlike any other. The Georgia Flu in effect wipes out 99% of population in a matter of weeks. Humanity is reduced to scattered settlements that are forced to regress to primitive life of hunters-gatherers and subsistence farmers. The novel jumps around in time - going back 30 years before the pandemic, recounting days and hours right before the disease strikes North America and days and weeks following the disaster, and then jumping 15 and 20 years into the future.

Right before the Georgia Flu overtakes Toronto and the rest of North America, a famous actor dies of a heart attack while performing King Lear on stage. A man from the audience who is training to become a paramedic unsuccessfully tries to bring him back to life. An eight-year-old child actress witnesses the death on stage. The novel then retraces the history of these three and follows the two surviving characters as humanity fails to stop the advance of the Georgia Flu.

The apocalypse aspects of the book are very realistic. I couldn't help but admire the author's well-thought out scenarios described in the book. I also really enjoyed the unexpected connections among various characters in the novel, and the way art influences, shapes or destroys them. All the main characters are extremely well fleshed out and easy to relate to. The book is both atmospheric and realistic. I was fully immersed in the world and could not put the book down. Definitely one of the best books I read in 2016. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Ivory and Bone" by Julie Eshbaugh

I really enjoyed this book. I first heard about it from someone on booktube who described it as a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in prehistoric times. Such description immediately piqued by interest. I love everything related to Pride and Prejudice. and a prehistoric setting just sounded super unusual and interesting.

The book does have an overall romantic plot line that is reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice but the gender roles are reversed. The male protagonist Kol is a bit "prejudiced" like Lizzie and the female character Mya is arrogant and proud like Mr. Darcy. However, the book also has another unique plot line that has nothing to do with Pride and Prejudice. It is Mya's backstory and how it affects the present and future events. It is a story of two clans and animosity between them. In fact, the name of the novel Ivory and Bone refers to Mya and Lo's story (Lo is another female character in the book). So the romance is a prominent, but not the main point of the book.

I did love the prehistoric setting. Eshbaugh did a great job describing the everyday life of hunters/gatherers, their culture, traditions, beliefs and views on life. It is certainly not a sophisticated historical fiction, but I was impressed with the level of detail that the author was able to weave into the story. 4 out of 5 stars - an excellent read.

"Glass Sword" by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword is the second book in the Red Queen series.  I read the first book over a year ago and you can read my review of it here. As I mentioned in my last year's post, some readers really love this series whereas others feel it is filled with tropes and lacks originality. Personally, I liked the first book and really wanted to like the second. I think Glass Sword is well-written and well thought out, but I had a lot of problem getting into it. I was not excited about sitting down to read it at the end of the day and it was a real struggle to make any sort of progress with this book. It took me over a week to read a 440-page book that has large line spacing. I think it is because as a reader I am a bit tired of YA fantasy/dystopian genre. Even though these books have different characters and settings, their plots tend to follow the same general pattern: e.g., a lowly-born nobody is suddenly found to be super special. The fate of the world is somehow now in the hands of this character. They feel misunderstood and unappreciated, have to make tough choices and suffer some losses, etc. So I think I was getting bored and that is why getting through this book was difficult. At this point, I am not sure if I will pick up the sequel. This series does feel like a cookie cutter to me and I am not that interested in it anymore. I rated this second installment of the series 3 out of 5 stars. If you have not read a lot of YA dystopian/fantasy, you might just enjoy it. I just feel that I am ready for something more original and profound.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite First Sentences

I have not done a top 5 Wednesday post in a while simply because I have not seen any topics I liked lately. I do really like this week's topic though - favorite first sentences. Below are the five that I chose. As usual, if you'd like to know more about Top 5 Wednesday, it is a Goodreads group and the link to the page is here.

1. Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen's beloved classic tale famously begins with: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." I just love this beginning. I think it is the epitome of Austen's humor and sets the tone for the entire novel.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This is another favorite of mine. It opens with: "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day." She goes on to describe a rainy cold day which sets a wonderful gloomy tone for this Gothic romance.

3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

I know it is popular to criticize this book, but even haters have to admit that Meyer's epic vampire love story reinvented the entire YA paranormal romance literature as we know it and got scores of teens into reading. I also think most people will recognize the first line in this book: "I'd never given much thought to how I would die..."

4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This is one of my favorite sci-fi novels, and the first line definitely gives you a taste of what is to come: "Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest."

5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

This is not the first sentence in the book because there is a one-page intro. But it is the first sentence of Chapter 1 in Part 1: "Aliens are stupid." I just love this line.

"Sex, Lies, and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting" by Michelle Dresbold

This is one of those rare times when I read and enjoyed a non-fiction title. Michelle Dresbold is a handwriting expert who often works with law enforcement agencies helping them profile and identify criminals based on their handwriting. The book is fairly short and is definitely meant for those who enjoy reading true crime stories. Dresbold provides the basics of identifying one's character and proclivities based on their handwriting and then uses handwriting samples of well-known serial killers and famous personas to support those principles. Ted Bundy, Bonnie and Clyde, the Ramseys and Jack the Ripper all make an appearance throughout the book. Dresbold also includes her take on some famous cold cases based on handwriting analysis. I really liked her theory on who Jack the Ripper was and the analysis of the note left behind in JonBenet Ramsey's case. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in handwriting analysis and true crime. I am usually not someone who reads about serial killers, but I did like the examples Dresbold used in this book. Four out of five stars: a very interesting and informative book.

"Truthwitch" by Susan Dennard

Susan Dennard's Truthwitch is the first book in a new YA fantasy series, and has been out for a few months now. In fact, the second book is scheduled to come out in January 2017. I believe the series will have 5 or 6 books total. I have seen very positive reviews of this novel so decided to give it a go.

This book definitely did not blow me away but there are a few things that I really liked. First of all, the female friendship in this book is amazing. Normally, in YA and adult romances, the main female protagonist gets so wrapped up in her romantic interest that she has no time for friends. Or, if she does have friends, they end up turning against her, betray her or create some other negativity around her. Not so, in Truthwitch. Safiya and Iseult share a very strong friendship bond and continue to care and protect each other and put their friendship above all else no matter what is happening around them.

The second aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was the political intrigue and the magic. I thought it was very interesting and well-done. I do however, agree with some other reviewers, that this book would really benefit from a glossary of terms. For the first 50 to 100 pages, things are really confusing to the reader because the author simply plunges into the world without explaining much about it. There is wisdom in not including long world building narratives that tend to get tedious and feel like info dump, but a nice concise appendix listing the main characters, kingdoms and types of magic would really be helpful. I hope this will be added in future books so things do not get too confusing.

Overall, the book is very well written and thought through. Once I got through the first 100 pages, I started to really enjoy it. 4 out of 5 stars. I will definitely be picking up book 2.