Hillbilly Elegy

I don't read a lot of memoirs, but this has been a best seller for a while and it was recommended by more than one friend. And I have to say, I really enjoyed it. And I highly recommend it.

For those of you who haven't heard of this book, Hillbilly Elegy is the memoir of one J.D. Vance, who grew up poor in Southwest Ohio in a family of hillbillies from Kentucky and went on to attend Yale Law School. The book is his story of how he escaped an almost certain fate of addiction, teen pregnancy/marriage, and even crime, with the help of his Mamaw and Papaw and other adults in his extended family and community.

Vance is a very good writer, in equal parts eloquent, folksy, direct, and funny. Reading his story makes one see how different it is for folks in certain parts of the country from those in other parts, and how we have no idea of our differences. Growing up in a very small town in Maryland I saw a tiny bit of what Vance experienced but for me it was the exception, and where he grew up it was the rule. That he was able to achieve what he has achieved is a testament to his own strength and power of will, but also to the positive influence of his maternal grandparents.

I highly recommend this book.

Hillbilly Elegy

Some Kind of Fairy Tale

This novel is a really interesting take on the old "fairy snatching" legends of the British Isles. Tara shows up at her parents' door on Christmas Day - 20 years after she disappeared in the Outwoods without a trace, and looking very much as she had back in 1983. She proceeds to tell a very detailed story of how she rode off on a white horse with an intriguing stranger, and had to stay at the odd and wondrous place he took her for six months before she could "cross back over" to home.

I don't want to give the story away, but let's just say that Tara seems perfectly sane, she willingly submits to psychiatrists, medical tests, and anything else they ask but won't change her story. There's an interesting side story with a kooky old neighbor and her cat too.

The end is a bit of a stunner too. A really enjoyable read.

Some Kind of Fairy Tale

Game of Thrones

Okay, so I have been a proud "never-watched-Game-of-Thrones-don't-know-what-all-the-fuss-is-about" person for a couple of years now. But on a whim I decided to read the book to see if I would like it.

I loved it.

It's like historical fiction, except the Seven Kingdoms are made up places (although there is a sense in the background that they are sort of mapped on to actual places), and some of the stuff that happens could never happen in real life. But the intrigue! The characters! The battles! I got sucked into it right away and I couldn't put it down.

But honestly, the book doesn't particularly make me want to watch the TV series. I did go to the IMDB page to see what the characters look like (Tyrion Lannister being the only one I had really ever heard of). I'll probably put it on my Netflix though.

And I'll definitely keep reading the book series.

Game of Thrones

Modern Romance

So, I was expecting this book to just be Aziz Ansari's funny take on dating in the age of Tinder and texting. What I didn't realize was that he was working with sociologists and cultural anthropologists and doing an actual (sort of) scholarly study. And it's still hilarious.

If you are at all familiar with Ansari's work - I believe he is required to be a roaster on all roasts on Comedy Central - you'll recognize his voice in the book immediately. He's quirky and dry and and a little nerdy. Here's one of my favorite lines from the book: "We want a lifelong wingman/wingwoman who completes us and can handle the truth, to mix metaphors from three different Tom Cruise movies." And that's not even the funniest bit.

Anyway, Aziz and many experts conducted focus group around the world (including Tokyo and Buenos Aires), and set up a subreddit, to learn about people's experiences and feelings regarding the world of dating. Besides being funny it is SUPER interesting, and a must read for anyone currently maneuvering their way through it.

Modern Romance

Me Before You

I adored this book! JoJo Moyes has written a beautiful, funny, sad, deep, and I think most importantly, realistic story about two people coming to terms with their lives.

Will Traynor has lived a "big life," but when he is struck by a motorcycle and becomes paralyzed from the chest down, his world becomes confined to his motorized wheelchair. Louisa Clark has lived a very small life, still living with her parents at age 26, long-time boyfriend with whom she has almost nothing in common, and no ambition. Then Lou is hired to be Will's companion for six months.

Lou and Will come to be friends as well as employer/employee, and they each give the other something that's missing from their lives - Lou gives Will fun and adventures and tenderness, and will gives Lou confidence and determination and, in a way, hope. But the realities of life are still there, and Lou and Will need to come to terms with those realities - for better or worse.



Me Before You

Written in my own Heart's Blood

This is the eighth and (currently) last novel in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. It was awesome - a 1,200-plus page romp through Revolution-era America (Philadelphia, New York, Savannah), interesting goings-on in 1980's Scotland, and even a trip to late 1730's Scotland.

I'll try not to give anything away, but here's where everyone is: Jamie is alive and he and Claire are with General George Washington's troops, as is Ian as a scout. Lord John's son (Jamie's natural son) William is on the British side, though not permitted to fight. In the 1980's, Bree and Roger's son Jem has been kidnapped and they fear he's been taken back in time for the family treasure, so Roger and his time-traveling kinsman Buck go back through the stones - but they wind up in the wrong year, going back to a time when Jamie's father was still alive and Jamie and his sister Jenny were teenagers.

Roger finds a way to communicate to Bree when his is, and she works to reunite her family. Meanwhile Claire and Jamie, Ian and his soon-to-be-wife Rachel, William, Lord John, and everyone else, are dealing with some very real Revolutionary War battles. But all Claire wants is to go home to Fraser's Ridge.

I think this is one of my favorites in the series since the first book. I don't know why, maybe just because it's the most recent one I read. Given that it takes Diana a few years to do all the research and writing for a novel, I'm going to have to wait to see what happens next. I'm thinking I may go back to read one of the earlier novels, but for now I've got a bunch of other stuff piled up on my reading list to catch up on.

Written in my Own Heart's Blood

An Echo in the Bone

OKAY, people, this is Book 7 in the Outlander series. It's about 1,200 pages long. At this rate the TV series (which I don't watch) will go on for about twenty years, even cutting out a lot.

And there is a lot to cut out. I love Diana Gabaldon's detail but I admit to skipping over a bunch of it too. I read the books for the wonderful characters, the history, and the action. And Echo does not disappoint in those regards.

To update you on where (when?) everyone is now: Jaime and Claire are in the Colonies in 1778 or so. Brianna and Roger and their kids are in Scotland in 1980ish. The action switches back and forth from time to time, and the voice changes from character to character, but it's not at all hard to follow. We do spend most of our time in the 18th century with Jaime and Claire, and Ian, Jaime's nephew. Lord John Grey and his son William are there too (who is actually Jaime's illegitimate son). In the 20th century, Brianna gets a job as an engineer, and Roger's ancestor William MacKenzie has come forward in time inadvertently, and comes seeking answers (and a way to go back) from Roger.

Normally I take a break between Outlander books because they are just so consuming, but with the way Gabaldon ended this one (I won't spoil it), I NEED to read the next one. She left a bunch of loose ends!! So off I go to BN to download Book 8.

An Echo in the Bone