Review: Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture, & Identity

Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture, & Identity by Winona Guo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Important read. Two young women take a gap year to travel across America interviewing people about race. Fascinating stories by amazing people.

We don't talk about race enough in America. This book could help and serves as an example on how to frame conversations and questions.

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Review: Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

So freaking good. I'm really loving all the graphic memoirs that are being published. Mira Jacob is an American with a story to tell about sexuality, race, religion, immigrants, and being a mother and wife. Try the audio--it's short and full cast and amazing.

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Review: The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir

The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Talk about PTSD. This book brought back a lot of memories. Steffanie and her husband have always traveled the world, fighting the AIDS epidemic and exploring third world countries. They traveled so much that they carried Cipro, ready for the stomach bug that would always eventually attack them.

But, this time, her husband gets sick in Egypt and barely makes it out of the country alive. He's transferred once. And again to get back to the States, but he still has an illness that antibiotics can't touch. Guess what? This type of thing happens all the time now in first world countries.

Strathdee gives readers tons of scientific information in words we can understand. Phages--I'd never heard of what they did. I still don't know much, but I feel like I've learned enough to want to know more, especially if they help us dumb humans out now and then.

Anyone who has had a loved one in ICU or develop sepsis will relate. What are we going to do about it? Have you stopped using antibacterial soap? Do you still ask the dr for antibiotics all the time when you really just need time and patience? What happens when you get sick and antibiotics don't help? How do you act as an advocate to your friends and family when they are in the hospital? Do you research medical journals or just scare yourself on internet discussion boards? I love how Strathdee takes charge, uses her knowledge and connections, and ends up kicking some butt. Brains for the win!


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Review: The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir

The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Talk about PTSD. This book brought back a lot of memories. Steffanie and her husband have always traveled the world, fighting the AIDS epidemic and exploring third world countries. They traveled so much that they carried Cipro, ready for the stomach bug that would always eventually attack them.

But, this time, her husband gets sick in Egypt and barely makes it out of the country alive. He's transferred once. And again to get back to the States, but he still has an illness that antibiotics can't touch. Guess what? This type of thing happens all the time now in first world countries.

Strathdee gives readers tons of scientific information in words we can understand. Phages--I'd never heard of what they did. I still don't know much, but I feel like I've learned enough to want to know more, especially if they help us dumb humans out now and then.

Anyone who has had a loved one in ICU or develop sepsis will relate. What are we going to do about it? Have you stopped using antibacterial soap? Do you still ask the dr for antibiotics all the time when you really just need time and patience? What happens when you get sick and antibiotics don't help? How do you act as an advocate to your friends and family when they are in the hospital? Do you research medical journals or just scare yourself on internet discussion boards? I love how Strathdee takes charge, uses her knowledge and connections, and ends up kicking some butt. Brains for the win!


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Review: The Clockwork Dynasty

The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've had this on my shelf for ages and I'm glad I finally got to it. I'm a big fan of steampunk done well, and I loved this mix of the modern world with some auto/robot/Frankenstein things that have existed forever. He worked in the terra cotta warriors at the end, too. As always, his books would be perfect to turn into movies--I love the constant action and cinematic effects. It had an Indiana Jones feel, too, except this time it's a woman named June who is the dorky fixer of automated toys who ends up saving the day.

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Review: Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc.

Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. by Jeff Tweedy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not even a fan of Wilco (gasp, right?), and so that means that I went into listening to this book without knowing anything about Jeff Tweedy or his musical career. As I kept listening though, I thought, whoops, I should know this guy. I've seen the Bottle Rockets (he mentions jamming with them in the book) and I'm a big red dirt/Americana/alt country/progressive country music fan now. My problem is that I really only know the bands that I know. It all started with Turnpike Troubadours when I heard Matt Carpenter's walk-up song at a Cardinals game. I went to their show and discovered American Aquarium, who opened for Turnpike. Then, through attending concerts and listening to opening bands, I discovered Reckless Kelly, Blackberry Smoke, Flatland Cavalry, Dirty River Boys, Cody Canada, Jamie Lin Wilson, Jason Boland, Josh Hedley, Kaitlin Butts, Lucero, Mike and the Moonpies, The Vandoliers, and the list goes on and on.

I knew that American Aquarium was kind of named after a Wilco song (or something like that?), but I never actually listened to the song or the band. I guess I'll have to go see a show sometime now? And Tweedy just played in Illinois a few months ago, I think.

This memoir is touching and poignant, discussing relationships, love, parenting, and loving what you do. It covers self-esteem, addiction, friendships, and growing up in Belleville, Illinois. Readers can really tell that Tweedy is a songwriter--he is smart and knows how to turn a phrase. Such good writing. How often does reading a memoir create a music fan? It did with me.

(Honestly, I think I know that I won't listen to most of his music because I don't like slow or depressing songs. But I will go see those songwriters perform in person, because music like that moves me when I see it live. I'm looking at you, Jason Eady, who made me bawl like a baby during an acoustic performance.)

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Review: Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc.

Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. by Jeff Tweedy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not even a fan of Wilco (gasp, right?), and so that means that I went into listening to this book without knowing anything about Jeff Tweedy or his musical career. As I kept listening though, I thought, whoops, I should know this guy. I've seen the Bottle Rockets (he mentions jamming with them in the book) and I'm a big red dirt/Americana/alt country/progressive country music fan now. My problem is that I really only know the bands that I know. It all started with Turnpike Troubadours when I heard Matt Carpenter's walk-up song at a Cardinals game. I went to their show and discovered American Aquarium, who opened for Turnpike. Then, through attending concerts and listening to opening bands, I discovered Reckless Kelly, Blackberry Smoke, Flatland Cavalry, Dirty River Boys, Cody Canada, Jamie Lin Wilson, Jason Boland, Josh Hedley, Kaitlin Butts, Lucero, Mike and the Moonpies, The Vandoliers, and the list goes on and on.

I knew that American Aquarium was kind named after a Wilco song (or something like that?), but I never actually listened to the song or the band. I guess I'll have to go see a show sometime now! And Tweedy just played in Illinois a few months ago, I think.

This memoir is touching and poignant, discussing relationships, love, parenting, and loving what you do. It covers self-esteem, addiction, friendships, and growing up in Belleville, Illinois. Readers can really tell that Tweedy is a songwriter--he is smart and knows how to turn a phrase. Such good writing. How often does reading a memoir create a music fan? It did with me.

(Honestly, I think I know that I won't listen to most of his music because I don't like slow or depressing songs. But I will go see those songwriters perform in person, because music like that moves me when I see it live. I'm looking at you, Jason Eady, who made me bawl like a baby during an acoustic performance.)

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Review: The Arsonist

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You really have to suspend believe in this book (and it's not meant to be fantasy or magical realism). Once you do that, just go along for the ride. Lots of (really?) coincidences in the plot of this one that could never really happen, but I still enjoyed the writing and the main characters, especially Pepper.

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