The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman

Today's review is of the Teachers and Friends Book Club selection for March.  It was chosen by Board of education member Mrs. Libero.  I was really stoked to read this as it was described as a musical comedy.  The main characters are piano players, so we've decided to hold the meeting at a piano restaurant next week.  We are hopeful retired West Haven music teacher Mr. Vessichio will make a guest appearance.

I am sorry to say I really did not like the book.  

Two languishing piano players put aside their melancholy loves to compete on a reality show like American Idol.  I did not like either one of them: Prudence--once a child prodigy who wrote a famous jingle and lives off the royalties and Alexei--a socially inept recluse.  I found Prudence annoying, and although I empathize that she is truly depressed without proper treatment, I wanted to smack her senseless.  She was the epitome of first world problems.  Alexei blames all his problems on his parents way of raising him, when in reality he has no gumption anyway. 

Add in the HOST of minor characters the reader has to keep straight.  There are way too many extra characters and most of them are just as annoying.  The HOA president, the bum ex-husband, the former teacher...every one needed a back story that was a slog to get through.

So, yeah, a no from me.  The ending is happy. 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.            

  

Daughter by Kate McLaughlin

This was recommended by another CT School Librarian.  The author is originally from Nova Scotia and now lives here. In addition, a good chunk of the story is set in NASCAR country--the areas around Charlotte and Raleigh.  Definite bonus points. 

Unfortunately, I didn't particularly care for the book.  It was very easy language, a quick Young Adult level read I finished in an afternoon.  But the plot was lacking.  This needed to be much longer and much more involved to be a fully fleshed out novel.  It read like the drafts of a Netflix or Prime series that was still in development.  

Scarlet is a typical teen in wealthy CT--upper middle class, white, attends private high school, smoked weed.  Single Mom is overprotective, but understandably as her husband/Scarlet's father took off when she was a baby and Mom has no other family left.

Except that is all a lie.  The FBI shows up and Scarlet learns she is "Baby Britney", the long lost daughter of a famous serial killer in North Carolina.  She has a ton of other family and her mother had a whole life she ran from to escape the media.  Scarlet/Britney's father is now dying of cancer and wants to see his daughter.  He promises to give up the names and locations of the rest of his victims in exchange.

Now, I thought at the beginning Scarlet would unearth some very important clue, or we'd learn the mother was actually the killer, or Scarlet herself would become a killer herself.  But, nothing happens.  There was no plot twist, no surprise, no...nothing.  It just was.  

Do not recommend.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.    

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

This is the Teachers and Friends Book Club selection for January, although we are not meeting until the first week of February.  It was chosen by Board of Education member Pat Libero.

What the heck did I just read....?!?!?!

I read this last night in one sitting.  The language is easy (my suspicion partly because it was written in Swedish then translated).  I texted Ms. Marcella from Carrigan and Ms. Corrado as I was reading because I am so confused!

The book begins with a suicide (a man jumps off a bridge).  A young boy witnesses this; it leads him on a path to become a police officer to help people.  I thought, OK, this is going to be very dark, moody, dramatic.

Fast forward to the present and a robber holds up a bank.  The boy, now a man and officer, responds to the crime, where the robber has broken into a real estate showing (the translation has it as "apartment" but a better term for us would be "condo").  

Here it suddenly turns into slapstick comedy.  It was like Wadsworth running down the hall with the candlestick.  There's an elderly smoker, a lesbian pregnant couple, an older real estate flipper and his wife, and an actor dressed as a giant rabbit.  What. Did. I. Just. Read.

As you can probably figure out, the now hostages develop the syndrome that they want to save/protect the robber.  And things end up in a nice bow with an awwwww.

I am still not sure what happened.  I'm looking forward to discussing this book.     

Cooking for the Culture by Toya Boudy

I have lately been obsessed with New Orleans and Creole food, history, and culture.  So naturally when I was looking for new cookbooks, this caught my eye.  Toya Boudy is a TV chef I've watched prior and love her recipes.  

This is similar to Home Is Where The Eggs Are, reviewed here recently, in that it is a hybrid cookbook and memoir.  Each recipe begins with an anecdote from Boudy's past and each section with family history.  Boudy is one of 3 sisters, the daughters of two hard working parents.  Because her parents worked, they were just above the monetary guidelines for assistance, meaning meals had to stretch, and her parents made almost everything from scratch. Boudy became pregnant in high school, which threw a wrench in her plans, but she did eventually complete her education and gave birth to her best friend.  Her eldest daughter became her biggest cheerleader, being present for all of her mom's success.     

These are amazing recipes, and I copied a bunch of them before adding this to our collection.  I am hoping someday to visit NOLA and try so many dishes!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.    

Call the Canaries Home by Laura Barrow

This is the Teachers and Friends Book Club selection for December, chosen by Mrs. Tirollo.  We are having an apps/dessert potluck at her home again as our holiday gathering.  My vote would be "liked it" but not "loved it".

Savannah is the youngest of 3 (living) sisters.  Savannah's twin Georgia was kidnapped when they were children and is presumed murdered by a serial killer now on death row.  Savannah has stayed in their tiny, rural, relatively poor town to care for their grandmother Marylynn, known as Meemaw.  She bounces from menial jobs like waitressing and housekeeping. Oldest Rayanne married into money, drives a brand new SUV, has two young children, and survives on anxiety medication.  Middle sister Sue Ellen became an organic/vegan/fitness guru, moved to New York City, has several degrees, and is an English professor.  Their mother died shortly after their sister's kidnapping from cancer; their father lives nearby but is a deadbeat.  

25 years after Meemaw took custody of the girls, they return to dig up the time capsule they buried in the yard at their old home.  They find a photo of the last day the four girls were together, which triggers memories and sends Savannah on a quest to find a possible witness.        

As this is somewhat a murder mystery, I don't want to spoil too much.  I will say my initial guess was incorrect, and I was not satisfied at the end.  The ending felt rushed, almost as if it is a set up for a sequel.  This was told in alternating viewpoints from Meemaw and all 3 sisters, varying from the 60s to the present, but the focus is definitely Savannah, and I felt there is a set up for Sue Ellen to have the spotlight next.  However, I can't check because for some reason our filtering software is blocking the author's website.  Insert eye roll here. 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.                

Madly, Deeply; The Diaries of Alan Rickman

I think you know I love all things Harry Potter.  And that includes Snape of course, and Alan Rickman.  I think Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood is a far better performance than Kevin Costner's title role.  Rickman's breakout in American Hollywood was the bad guy in Die Hard (who will ever forget the face as Bruce Willis drops him off Nakatomi Tower--which was because Willis let him go on 2 rather than 3).  

Rickman kept a diary, which is more like a date book record of meetings and appointments with commentary thrown in. This was published after his death.  His longtime partner (he formally/officially married Rima in 2012 to protect her financially) provides an epilogue of his final days in the hospital in late 2015 to early 2016.

It was July 27, 2007 when Rickman read Snape's death in the book.  He wrote in his journal he was satisfied with his character's ending.  He briefly considered allowing Snape to be recast for the final three movies after his cancer diagnosis in 2005, but wrote he must see the storyline through.  He never let his castmates know he was ill, instead allowing his pallid complexion and pained demeanor to be seen as living in character.  His younger castmates called it "Snaping about".

His talent and, as former castmate Johnny Depp called it, "uniqueness" will be missed. 

Note, I didn't realize when this was purchased through our vendor it is the large print version.  It still does not list so on the book sale page.  Please do not let the length/size of the book deceive you, as the font is gigantic.               

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

This is review #2 for today.

Ms. Keefe is a retired school psychologist who spent much of her career here in West Haven.  She now splits her time between WH and FL.  This is her choice for the Teachers and Friends Book Club, and we will be meeting today to discuss. 

This is a modern interpretation of David Copperfield, which until recently was a standard in Literature courses (although not in West Haven for some time now).  

Demon is born to a single, addicted mother in Lee County, Virginia.  The novel tells his life story, through the lenses of the foster care system, American education, addiction, alcoholism, poverty, LGBTQ+ issues, all in the rural South.  

I have mixed feelings about it.  Heartbreaking to read about a child seemingly discarded from birth, a innocent victim of circumstances beyond his control, but also some anger that places I love were being portrayed as resistant to change and therefore it's their own fault.  Bristol is less than an hour away.

I am curious to hear what others have to say today.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.