When in doubt, go to the library.

*****

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Blunt
Format: Audiobook

The Story: The story of a family told by 14 year old June, the youngest daughter. As the story opens, her Uncle Finn, who she loves, dies of AIDS. She watches how her family reacts and feels alone in her grief, because of their difficulty dealing with her uncle's homosexuality. A few months pass and June discovers that Finn had a partner that she never met, a man named Toby. The two become friends, joined by their memories of Finn and their grief.

The Review:
So excellent. I really enjoyed this book. It's got a cast of very real characters, dealing with very real emotions. It is interesting to watch how each of them process their grief and how they both reach for and reject each other.

It's also an interesting look at the AIDS epidemic in the 1980's. It's set in the late 80s and June comments that on the news one night they see that the FDA is approving medication to treat AIDS. Except it is 6 months too late to save her uncle. For me it was an interesting insight into how AIDS was treated and the big shift to how it is treated now.

I recommend it.

*****

The Evolution of God by Robert Wright
Format: Audiobook

The Story:
This is a non-fiction sociological look at how societies have defined their gods through known history.

The Review:
I found this really interesting at the beginning. Wright began with all kinds and types of tribes and communities, and broke down what we know about them from artifacts and records. And then he discussed their worship practices and who/what they thought god/God was. These societies are so interesting because they are using gods and the supernatural to explain the world they lived in. And it's so understandable. Even in the movie "Twister" they say an F5 tornado is "the finger of God." So of course these early humans would have needed some way to understand the world.

But I lost interest halfway through when Wright took to breaking down the Bible to understand those societies and their definitions of god/God. At first it was interesting. But then it just really dragged on and on.

I don't really recommend it, unless you are super in to this sort of thing.

*****

Tenth of December by George Saunders
Format: Audiobook

The Story:
A collection of short stories.

The Review:
These were so great. I enjoy short stories (although they are incredibly difficult to review). Saunders is clever. These are well-written and are full of interesting characters and unexpected plotlines.

I recommend it.

Have you seen my Balzac? … Have you seen my Dickens? … Have you seen my Longfellow?

Audiobooks!




The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Format: Audiobook

The Story: The true story of the crew team from the University of Washington that went to the 1936 Olympic games. Brown, the author, is invited to meet Joe Rantz, who is in the present dying. Rantz begins to tell Brown his story, the story of the eight other men he rowed with and the boat.

The Review: This is a beautiful book. It's a fascinating story. We follow Joe's early life and the struggles he lives through with his family after his mother dies and his father remarries and they struggle through difficult economic times. Joe learns to work to support himself, but decides that he will go to college. For him the way to survive college at the University of Washington is to make the crew team.

As the story shifts to the University, we meet the eight other men who make up Joe's team, and more importantly to Joe, we meet the boat. And the boatmaker. I was amazed at the descriptions of the boat and how difficult it is to row because of the balance required. But this team starts winning.

It is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

*****

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
Format: Audiobook

The Story: This is a mystery that centers around a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle legend. Doyle kept journals, but the journal that would cover the time when Doyle decided to resurrect Sherlock Holmes after he killed him off is missing. It is the holy grail of the Holmes fanatics. This mystery gets tangled up with a murder and both must be solved.

The Review: Can I be honest? I listened to this after one of my surgeries this summer. I don't know if I really slept through the entire thing, or if it's the meds, but I have no memory of this book. I have no idea what happened. I don't know if it was interesting. I really just don't remember.

*****

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Format: Audiobook

The Story: Gladwell examines the point that turns something into a trend. His examples range from an unpopular shoe being picked up by a few kids and then spreading to become the shoe everyone has to have, to the spread of suicide among teens.

The Review: This is a good read and listen. Gladwell is engaging and has tons of examples to prove his point.

If you've never read it, I recommend it.

*****

Life of Pi by
Format: Audiobook

The Story: Pi Patel leaves India with his family and the animals from their zoo. There is a terrible storm and the ship they are all on sinks, leaving Pi as the only survivor in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, a gorilla, and a tiger named Richard Parker.

The Review: This is a reread and a new listen for me. This is a great book. It is beautifully written. I love Pi as the narrator. He is so introspective and thoughtful even while he must do everything he can to keep himself alive in a lifeboat.

The narration of this was also great. It was easy to listen to.