Four Quick Reviews

The year is quickly coming to a close, so here is a catch-up post with some of the most recent books (two fiction and two non-fiction) I've read with two or three-sentence reviews.

Next week, I will post some more quick reviews on three other fiction books I've read recently.

Fiction:

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

Twenty years after his parents were kidnapped, a London detective returns to Shanghai to get to the bottom of their disappearance. I am NOT recommending this book to you because I found it unsatisfying and quite boring. Written by the same author as one of my favorite books, The Remains of the Day, I have to say that I prefer The Remains of the Day over this one.

The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexi

This is the story of a Native American teenage boy living on a reservation who decides to make a change in his life and attend the mostly white high school 22 miles away from the reservation. A total teenage boy book (beware of boner jokes!) but with lots of heart and tension between sticking with the status quo and wanting to make a future for yourself.

 

 

Non-fiction:

Motherhood Smotherhood: Fighting Back Against the Lactivists, Mompetitions, Germophobes, and So-Called Experts Who Are Driving Us Crazy by JJ Keith

JJ Keith offers her take on all of the talk and blogging out there about the "perfect" way to be pregnant, give birth, nurse a baby, and to parent. I am wondering who I could give this funny, witty, and down-to-earth book to as a gift, but I think that some of my mom friends might be offended.

At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life by Jennifer L. Scott

I liked Scott's previous book, Lessons from Madame Chic, and here she brings her thoughts about creating and running a home that is a refuge from the world and about living a life at home that brings you joy. I like Scott because she is practical and inspiring without being pretentious. This book actually flowed better than her first.