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Book Reviews
Audiobook Review: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
- Release Date: September 9th 2014
- Audiobook Hours: 10 hours and 41 minutes
- Genre: Literary….Science Fiction ?
- Publisher: Random House Audio
I feel like three years ago you couldn’t trip anywhere in the book-sphere without falling into this book. Station Eleven is the fascinating and deeply haunting story of what happens after a flu epidemic kills 99% of the Earth’s population and infrastructure collapses.
Everything I knew about this book happens in the first 20 pages; An actor in a production of King Lear dies on stage in front of child actor Kirsten Raymonde. Jump cut to 20 years later where Kirsten is part of a traveling symphony, a theater troupe that performs Shakespeare in the small towns dotting the the desolate and often dangerous North American landscape.
I am seriously in awe of the narrative structure of this book. The novel moves back and forth through time, telling stories of people who were in the theater that night with Kirsten. Mandel effortlessly weaves her characters fates through and around each other. There is also kind of a twist, I’m not sure how soon you’re supposed to see it, but it took me by surprise.
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Book Review/ Audiobook Review : A Psalm For Lost Girls by Kate Bayerl
Book Review
If someone were to ask me what it means to have a book with
a strong sense of setting I would 100% point to A Psalm For Lost Girls. New Haven, MA is a small
immigrant city where everyone knows everyone and some secrets just can’t be
kept.Callie da Costa wants to believe her sister Tessa, whose
untimely death she is still grieving , wasn’t the miracle making saint the
town and church think she might have been. That maybe the fortuitous voices her
sister heard where. . . just in her head?
But when a missing girl miraculously appears on a shrine to Tessa, Callie has to rethink what she truly believes. This is a great read for those who, like me, don’t think
contemporary is for them. While the story has hints of magical realism the
events in the novel are grounded in grief and loss.
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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Release Date: February 1986
- Pages: 309
- Genre: Dystopian
- Publisher: Anchor Books
Back in 2014 I read Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and it ruined my vacation because nothing is better
on the lido deck then reading about child sex trafficking and chicken noobies ! I just figured I didn’t get Atwood. I left that book feeling bleh.
But I’ve had a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale for years and since it’s one in a list of zeitgeist-y books getting the TV/movie treatment (I’m looking at you The Dark Tower and American
Gods) I decided to give it a try, Also this is the only one that isn’t like . . .a thousand pages.
While I didn’t care for Oryxand Crake I could immediately see why The Handmaid’s Tale resonates with so many
people, especially now. There is a lot to unpack about feminism, women’s rightsand sexuality in the Dystopian (Utopian ?) Republic of Gilead where fertile womenare trained to become vessels of birth or, Handmaidens to wealthy older couples.
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Girl Code By Andrea Gonazles and Sophie Houser
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4 Hours 32 Minutes | Harper Audio | 3/7/17
Book Review
I think in a world where every other teen non-fiction book is by a YouTuber or reality show star, there is something refreshing about a book by two everyday teenage girls; whose project with Girls Who Code became a viral sensation.
There is something accessible about the success in this book that I think will appeal to teens. Sophie and Andy each bring their unique experiences to the table . Andy is a second-generation Filipina whose drive and discipline constantly push her forward, and Sophie’s quirkiness, selfawareness and need to speak out (and possibly her mom running a start-up media company) keeps her looking for the next challenge in life. At times the book stretched to form a narrative, but delves into the sacrifices and anxieties the girls face as they explore the world of programming.
Audiobook Review
The authors give listeners an inside look at how two teenaged girls are breaking the tech world’s glass ceiling while challenging the taboo of discussing menstruation. In 2014, Andrea “Andy” Gonzales and Sophie Houser’s summer project at Girls Who Code became the viral computer game Tampon Run. The girl coders lend their voices to the narration, taking on separate chapters as well giving listeners an introductory lesson on how to find tools and resources to start coding. An accompanying PDF supports this part of the audio presentation. Since the success of their game, the pair have been invited to Silicon Valley and offered numerous media appearances and interviews, experiences that are reflected in their thoughtful, straightforward performance. They expertly reflect the highs and lows of their incredible journey. J.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine—as published in AudioFile
