Time to catch up on book reviews. I’ve had a bit more time to read lately, and was able to re-read Project Hail Mary after seeing the film. I loved the book so much I bought a hardback. The movie is true to the book, and I loved it, too. I’ll be looking for a Blu-ray later this year as it will be in my permanent collection. Today, I have a mix of fiction and non-fiction, with all the titles linked to Amazon for convenience if you’d like to see more. Thank you for using my links when you can.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – Here’s my review from a few years ago when I read it the first time. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe this imaginative and original story, five stars!! Set in space, with an unlikely hero, it begins with the protagonist awakening to a confusing situation and memory loss. As he pieces things together, one startling revelation at a time, the reader is taken through twists and turns, with the story becoming more compelling as it goes on. It is a long book, 476 pages, and I couldn’t put it down. There is a lot of science in the story. Even though physics and math are not my strong suits, the concepts are explained in such a way that it is interesting, and doesn’t bog down the flow. The science is essential to the story and the main character’s choices. It will grip your emotions as it goes, taking you on the journey with the hero, and his agonizing decision after a surprise revelation near the end. The writing is easy reading, and suitable for most audiences. The guys will love this one, would be a great gift for a reader husband, father, brother, son, or other guy in your life. I loved Project Hail Mary, and highly recommend to anyone looking for something different to read.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan – based on a true story of a London community during the German Blitz bombing raids of World War II. The lives of three women with the library in common are followed through several months of the war. As bombs fall almost every night, the people of London seek refuge in the underground transit tunnels. After the library is hit, the librarian moves some of the undamaged books to the tunnels helping to create a diversion and sense of community among the people sheltering there. The book is easy reading, yet gives a sense of the constant worry each of them faced from not only the war itself, but also about missing family members left behind in Germany or fighting at the front.

Next, two non-fiction books – one pretty good, the other not so much.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean – This is a non-fiction work centered on the fire that destroyed the Los Angeles Library in 1986. It delves into more than just the fire and the search for an arsonist. In explaining how libraries work, the history of the development of the Los Angeles Library comes to life. The story is well written, and reads more like a novel. I learned a lot from this book about how the librarian’s job has changed over the years from incorporating outreach to underserved communities to integrating digital media into today’s library system. For those who love books, this is a wonderful look behind the curtain.

American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by Seth Wickersham – Non-fiction book about some of the quarterbacks in history. My friend Vicki liked this book and recommended it. But, for me it fell flat. It is a series of stories in the lives of a number of quarterbacks, but it lacks cohesion with no overall premise. The chapters have no introductions, they just dive into another story. The short stories are of incidents in the lives of the men like the day they were chosen in the draft, the day they walked onto a football field in high school, and lots more in one to three pages. There doesn’t seem to be any organization to the stories. The chapter titles don’t make sense to the vignettes. The timeline jumps around from early days of football to 2025, back to 2017 then 1998 so that the progression of societal admiration and elevation in status of quarterbacks is lost. While the football dynasty of the Mannings is included, too much is spent on Arch Manning who is still in college and not yet in the NFL, and very little on Peyton or Eli. Beyond that, there are a number of outstanding quarterbacks not covered at all like Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Fran Tarkenton, Kurt Warner, Bart Starr, Brent Favre, Roger Stabauch, Dan Marino or Joe Montana, among others. Too bad, as I really wanted to like this book, but I was more bored than engaged.

And, now, three fiction novels that I recommend. Run to the library for the last one!

Saturday by Ian McEwan – Taking place over the course of a single day, this is a stream of consciousness novel surrounding a day in the life of a neurosurgeon. On his day off, he awakens earlier than usual, looking out the window of his London home before dawn to witness an airplane on fire attempting to land at Heathrow airport. Later, a minor traffic accident sets in motion a string of events as he goes through his day. The evening should be a happy family reunion, but plans are disrupted. Through the novel, his thoughts on the events of the day, memories of childhood, his feelings for his wife and adult children, and current world events are woven together. Part of the story is somewhat disturbing, but overall it is an interesting premise and well written.

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini – Wonderfully written novel of the first World War centering on the switchboard operators in France during the German invasion and occupation of border areas. There is much historical research apparent in the story, with a fictionalized account of a real operator, along with three other composite characters. As the war rages, the women are moved closer to the front to provide services keeping communication lines open. At the same time, the worldwide pandemic of Spanish flu made conditions even more hazardous. It was an interesting look at a part of the war effort not widely known. In the afterward, the author gives the postscript to the story in that it took 60 years for these brave women to be recognized as military veterans and not just civilian contractors. For fans of history, this one is well worth the read. As an aside, some of the reviews erroneously identify this as a WWII novel, but it is set in 1914-1918 when Germany invaded France for the first time.

My Husband’s Wife by Allison Feeney – This is a masterpiece thriller where every character has a secret, and nothing is as it seems from the very beginning. Twists and turns abound, with an intricate plot and superb storytelling. The novel unfolds with shifting points of view that add depth and nuance to the characters. A woman goes out for a run, and returns home to find an imposter in her home. Another woman tries to uncover what she believes to be a scam in predicting a person’s death date based on their DNA. Their stories become linked in a very surprising way. I don’t want to spoil anything in the plot, just run to the library and get on the list to read this one. It was just published in January. Five stars, highly recommend.

Your turn! What are you reading? Anything new you’d like to recommend?

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