Belinda’s Book Nook Review: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

30223025

 

 

 

 

Title: Dread Nation
Author: Justina Ireland
Copyright: April 3, 2018
Genre: fiction
Format: book
Pages: 455

 

Summary (from Goodreads):

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

About the Author (Justina Ireland):

Image result for justina ireland

Justina Ireland enjoys dark chocolate, dark humor, and is not too proud to admit that she’s still afraid of the dark. She lives with her husband, kid, and dog in Pennsylvania. She is the author of Vengeance Bound and Promise of Shadows. But what you may not know about her is that:

 Over the last several years, Ireland and others in the YA world have been using Twitter to call out what they see as an enduring tradition of racist nonsense in publishing…As Ireland has repeatedly taken pains to point out, the world of children’s and young-adult literature is overwhelmingly, disproportionately white. Of some 3,700 books for children or teens that were published last year, just 340 were about children or teens who were black, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin. Of those, just 100 were written by black authors. Ireland argues that the industry should publish more books by nonwhite authors, and that white authors should think more carefully about how they represent black and brown people in their books.

My Thoughts:

This book was fantastic. I heard about this book from the Book Riot podcast and I was interested because I liked how it was an alternate history during the civil war time. I was also thrilled that the protagonist was mixed race.

The cover art grabbed my attention and it appealed to me that the author was a black woman. As I quoted earlier, there is a disproportionate amount of non-white authors published in the industry today. I’m always trying to make a conscious effort to support black authors.  Because if we don’t buy the books written by people of color then the publishers can say that they didn’t create or generate the sales that they need to be publishing books and we will miss an opportunity to experience diverse talent.

I won’t lie when I say that I was a little hesitant when I saw the word zombie in the description. But the idea of an alternate history where blacks during the civil war were trained in weaponry and etiquette. Well, I just had to see this book through. The story was easy to get into I really like the main character, Jane, who was very strong and smart.

Structurally, I like how at the very start of each chapter you would see an excerpt from a letter Jane wrote to her mother. Since she had to live apart from her mother at the boarding school, she wanted to keep in touch with her mother and we saw this represented in the letters she wrote to her mother.

Of course, you get to see the boarding school experience through Jane’s eyes and hear a lot about how she gets along with the fella girls. You also get glimpses of her past where she used to live on Rose Hill with her mother and the story unfolds really slowly chapter to chapter. I like that it is spread out throughout the story. The author doesn’t throw all the information at you in the beginning. It is delivered at a pace that really enhanced the experience of the book.

Although the story is a fantastical alternate history of the civil war era, the issues of race ring familiar today. We aren’t in that great “melting pot” that we often talked about when I was growing up. We can’t be when people have racial bias and laws that govern exacerbate those feelings. There were many action scenes much of which took place in the last quarter of the book and I just couldn’t put it down had to finish it. I believe it is the start of a series. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to the next one.

I give this book 4 1/2 butterflies.

Belinda’s Book Nook Review: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

 

Hello, my bookworm friends! I thought I would share another book review for the Literary Voyage Around the World Reading challenge.

462033

 

 

 

 

Title: Maisie Dobbs
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Copyright: May 25, 2004
Genre: fiction
Format: book
Pages: 309

 

Summary (from Goodreads):

Maisie Dobbs isn’t just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence—and the patronage of her benevolent employers—she works her way into college at Cambridge. When World War I breaks out, Maisie goes to the front as a nurse. It is there that she learns that coincidences are meaningful and the truth elusive. After the War, Maisie sets up on her own as a private investigator. But her very first assignment, seemingly an ordinary infidelity case, soon reveals a much deeper, darker web of secrets, which will force Maisie to revisit the horrors of the Great War and the love she left behind.

About the Author (Jacqueline Winspear):

 

Truth walks toward us on the paths of our questions. As soon as you think you have the answer, you have closed the path and may miss the vital new information. Wait awhile in the stillness, and do not rush to conclusions, no matter how uncomfortable the unknowing.”

– Jacqueline Winspear

While looking up Ms. Winspear’s information online, I came across quite a lot of wonderful quotes from her. If you don’t know it, I am a quote hoarder!! I love writing quotes in a little book and in my journal. So I thought I would share the one above with you.

Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.

Jacqueline found her inspiration in the ordinary people of wartime from her grandfather who was severely wounded and shell-shocked at The Battle of the Somme in 1916, and it was as she understood the extent of his suffering that, even in childhood, Jacqueline became deeply interested in the “war to end all wars” and its aftereffects.

My Thoughts:

I have been collecting the books in this series prior to reading this first book for some time from thrift shops. I love the covers and I liked the premise of the story so I was hoping that I was investing in a good series. Now that I finally read the first book, and I now know I am happy I have been collecting them.

The first book provides readers with Maisie’s backstory. Some critics say that it spent too much time on her backstory but I found it both interesting and helpful for me to understand her character. It helps to develop the reader’s investment in the character. It also provided us with a mystery to keep things interesting.

The story is told alternating back and forth in time and I kept coming back to see what next was in store for her.  I liked that Maisie was such a strong and independent character throughout the book and it was great to watch her confidence grow as the story develops.

Being an avid reader, I have come to the realization that not everyone’s first book might wow you but quite often if you stick with an author, you get to witness them grow and you connect more with their stories. I feel this way with this book. I enjoyed the story and I switched back and forth between reading the printed edition and listening to the audiobook. Which also provides a different experience. I love series because I always feel like with each book you are visiting a old friend. The beauty of starting this series so late is that I believe there are already 13 books in the series so I have plenty more to explore. I look forward to tagging along with Maisie in her next case.

For these reasons, I give this book 3  1/2 butterflies!
Happy reading!

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook Review: The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

Hello everyone! My first book review of 2018 is also for the Literary Voyage Around the World Reading challenge.  I am trying a different format. Let me know if you like it.

“The wall is the thing which separates them, but it is also their means of communications.” – Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace

Title: The Woman Next Door
Author: Yewande Omotoso
Copyright: February 7, 2017
Genre: fiction
Format: book
Pages: 278

This quote above is at the very beginning of the book and it really captures the essence of the main characters Hortensia and Marion’s relationship. So I found it fitting to include in this review.

I first heard about this book on a Podcast and thought it would be a wonderful book to read and include in my reading challenge selections. This is a newly published book but lucky for me, my library had a copy available so you know I had to snatch it up.

Summary (from Goodreads):

Hortensia James and Marion Agostino are neighbors. One is black, one white. Both are successful women with impressive careers. Both have recently been widowed. And both are sworn enemies, sharing hedge and hostility which they prune with a zeal that belies the fact that they are both over eighty.

But one day an unforeseen event forces the women together.

My Thoughts:

I immediately was pulled into the story of these two women, one black, Hortensia and one white, Marion and their difficult relationship. Both had successful careers and they met when Hortensia attended one of the community committee meetings which had been started by Marion. Although Marion took the meetings very seriously, Hortensia saw them as very exclusionary and attended by right and often to “put the ladies in their place”.

The book demonstrated some of the residuals of apartheid through the relationship of the two woman. Much of their initial hate for one another came from preconceived ideas they had about each other. Because they initially never took the time to get to know each other, their past histories dominated the way they related to each other rather than truth. For Marion, she feigned innocence to the history and racial bias but Hortensia quickly and frequently reminded her which led to a very cynical relationship.

As the story progresses, I was able to learn more about each woman’s background from childhood to adulthood and it laid the foundation for their present beliefs and personalities. I love when stories do this because it reminds us that there is depth to consider before judgment. I could have easily hated both characters but the back stories provided the bridge to understanding.

This book is about love, loss, race, relationships, friendship, and history. But the author, Omotoso does include some very important issues into the story which I like because it gave me an opportunity to learn more about the South African history.  It has peaked my interest regarding the topic of land reform and the Land Claims Commision.

The Land Reform Processes focused on three areas: restitution, land tenure reform and land redistribution. Restitution, where the government compensates (monetary) individuals who had been forcefully removed, has been very unsuccessful and the policy has now shifted to redistribution with secure land tenure. Land tenure reform is a system of recognizing people’s right to own land and therefore control of the land. – wikipedia

Omotoso incorporates the Land Reform Process into the story when a family makes a claim regarding the development in which the ladies live. So the community commission led by Marion decide to investigate.  In addition to that claim, there is also a descendant of a former slave who lived in slave quarters on the land where Hortensia’s property lies. Under apartheid, the land was taken from them. They wanted to bury their grandmother’s ashes under a Silver Tree which they identified with specific markings that occupy a place on Hortensia’s property.

Silver Tree in South Africa

Marion begins to question her previously held beliefs when she takes the time to go to the library and read up on the topic. I think it provided a pivotal moment for a shift if ever so slightly of her character.

Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef (1856-1957) was regarded as one of the best of the Old South Africa masters. – wiki

Both hide secrets from each other and one that Marion can’t think of revealing to Hortensia is that her husband squandered their money before his death and left her in debt. So much so she will have to sell her house. However, she has a very valuable art piece by Pierneef that she could sell to help her situation.  I googled and found a lovely image of one of his works for you to see (above). This is the beauty of reading books, they allow me to grow and learn about so many things. I find it fun to go online and find things to help bring the story to life.

A bit about the author…

photo from the web

Yewande Omotoso was born in Barbados in 1980 to a Barbadian mother and Nigerian father. They moved within a year of her birth to Nigeria and in 1992 they then moved to South Africa. Her debut novel is called Bom Boy and was published in 2011 and won the 2012 South African Literary Awards (SALA).

South African flag

I really enjoyed this book. This book also qualifies for my Literary Voyage Around the World Reading challenge. Since the setting is in South Africa I will use it for that country. I give it three butterflies!

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook Book Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Now that Dimple Shah has graduated, she’s ready for a break from her family – especially from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the Ideal Indian Husband. Ugh. But Dimple knows that her mother must respect that she isn’t interested in doing that right now – otherwise, she wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers, right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic, so when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him – during which he’ll have to woo her – he’s totally onboard. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. Although their parents hadn’t planned suggesting the arrangement so soon, when their kids signed up for the same summer program, they figured why not?

My Thoughts:

I kept hearing about this book in the summer and people said it was a great light summer read. I tend to agree that it is a nice light book that could be read in the summer or between really heavy books that require your brain a rest.  That said, I am not suggesting the book is fluff. It is a nice story with cute characters and of course a little romance thrown in. It also touched on commonly believed cultural expectations marriage. Often when I read books that feature characters from a different culture from my own, I seek more insight to the culture and history. That said, this is a young adult book and this may be new to them.

I listened to the audiobook edition of this book even though I have the physical book and found it very enjoyable to listen to. So if you are looking for something sweet and light, this might be a great read for you. For the reasons mentioned above, I give this book 3 butterflies.

Belinda

Title: When Dimple Met Rishi
Author: Sandhya Menon
Copyright: May 30, 2017
Genre: YA fiction
Format: hardcover book and audiobook Narrated: Sneha Mathan, Vikas Adam Pages: 380

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: