I really appreciate this relatively new type of memoir written by a woman in a STEM field about the complexity of navigating their lives and careers as they pioneer their way through male-dominated professions.  This one was not a disappointment.  It was like Hidden Figures (which I loved) meets The Overstory (which I did not love).  There was a lot of detail about forests, tree, and fungi.  It will come to no surprise to many to hear that found this part boring, saved only by the analogies to things I am actually interested in that made parts of these sections interesting enough.  I am certain that the people who like that stuff will like this part of the story.  What I did find compelling was the politics of her work and her struggle to balance family life and work.  I am also drawn in by memoirs written by people who are obviously passionate about their field of expertise.  For me, this story also resonated for me as she moved between Corvallis, Oregon, and Vancouver, BC, -- two places that I have called home.  It reminded me how, living in a university town, how many interesting people move through here that we never even know are here while they are here.  

​Recommend.  

Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

A murder mystery set in Nairobi, I was excited about his book in anticipation of my trip to Kenya.  I read it on the flight over and on the first day of my arrival and found it to be exciting, fast-paced, and with detailed descriptions and narrative.  A refugee from DRC, the main character is part of a gang in the slums following the death of her mother and a skilled thief.  The story unfolds amidst a complex background which unfolds and does come together as the book moves along. I found the swift moving plot solid enough to keep my interest and since I was in Nairobi, it was interesting to be reading a story set in the country.

Now the bad news.  Although almost all of the characters in the novel are Black and the main characters all are, the author is not. Nor is she from Kenya.  Her biography cites experience working in human rights, refugee work, and with survivors of sexual assault during times of violent conflict, but she is a white American who has been living and working abroad. Although there are included author notes, those don't acknowledge this problematic situation whatsoever and I can't find much about the book online, let alone about this issue.

Not not recommended.

More a short story or novella than an actual book, this is a lovely tale that reflects the shifting attitude about "unwed mothers."  Set in religious 1980's Ireland, I like that a chance encounter leads a an ordinary person to engage in ordinary acts of kindness.

​Recommend.

I absolutely did not enjoy this book.  Yes, I learned a lot.  A lot.  A really lot.  About medieval Europe.  A topic I didn't know anything about and realize this is because I do not find it very interesting.  I mean, parts of it were interesting.  It was just that there were a lot of parts-- and I mean a lot of parts-- that droned on and on and on about war and tax collection policy and other things that were of passing interest and that I could have been into for a few paragraphs, but this is an 800 page book!  I did not want or need that much detail.  If, however, this is your cup of tea, I think it is likely you could love this book.  It did, however, drone me to sleep a lot of times while I slogged my way through it. 


Do not recommend.

This is the autobiography of Hayley Mills, who was one of the early childhood stars contracted with Disney.  She played Pollyanna and was the star of the original Parent Trap.  It is an interesting enough life, with lots of travel before travel was accessible to many people, and talked about the people and techniques behind movie making in that era.  It was also a snapshot of how child actors were treated, including the court case about her trust account that resulted in all of the money she made a child being taken for taxes and the lawyer fees to unsuccessfully try to fight the tax, which was due to mismanagement of the assets and could easily have been avoided if her parents had decent advice.  This meant that instead of being set for life as a result of the work she did as a child, she had to continue to worry about money as an adult.  At 20, she became involved with and then married her 53 year old director in what appeared to be a pretty problematic relationship that she still seemed defensive about and lacked insight into.  I think for folks more interested in the stories about famous Hollywood types from this era might enjoy it more.  It found it pretty sad and depressing, though.


Not recommended.

This was a fun little anti-romance, where the protagonist really needs to get rid of the person she has the romantic-ish entanglement with. The on-again, off-again relationship develops eventually into the side-story as she opens a cafe based on recipes from her grandfather, with whom she shares an endearing relationship.  Lots to like in this light read with a cadre of likeable characters and side plots.  The predictable ending, though, was too tidy and too trite for my liking, but up until that part, I quite enjoyed it.

Not recommended.

Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

This is a harmless, soft romance about a couple of students doing a college project for their psychology class about "love at first sight."  It is light and has funny moments.  There were some cute characters and exchanges between the main characters, but it lacked any complexity of plot or character development.  

Not not recommended.

Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

This post-break-up romance is a surprising gem that kind of sneaks up on you after a bit of a rocky and unrealistic start.  Several times, I thought the books was ready to wrap up with a quick, predictable ending, only to find that there was still a significant amount of the book left to go.  And I was surprised to find that I was glad that it wasn't over yet.  Fun characters, unusual storyline, and unexpected detours in the story.  For a cheap trashy romance, definitely above average.

​Recommend.


Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

I found the title of this short, mostly inoffensive romance novel misleading since there really wasn't anything "naughty" about the story at all.  In fact, despite the title, which implies some elicit, kinky affair with the nanny, the story is pretty mundane.  From the encounter with an old high school crush to the crazy ex-wife, the storyline trotted out one common plotline after the other.  There was nothing wrong with the story, just nothing to recommend.

Not recommended.

Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

This is part of Higgins' romance-adjacent stories about sisters and families that I have found to be a surprisingly delightful set of reads.  This story run a bit of a tired plot line, with the bullied high school overachiever returning to her small town roots after she has an injury and needs to recover for a bit.  It ended up bringing a lot more than expected, though, with relationship that developed depth beyond their initial stereotypical presentation.  I ended up getting into it and enjoying some of the characters, who similarly mostly started as tropes but a number of them moved beyond that.  I am not sure that I would give this one a full recommendation, but for something along the line of a romance but with a little more focus on the protagonists entire life, it really was not bad at all.

Not not recommended.  
​
Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.