Category Archives: books/book review

Chris Dinesen Rogers

Book Review of All Plants are Edible Once, by Chris Dinesen Rogers

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I won a signed copy of All Plants are Edible Once, by Chris Dinesen Rogers, through Goodreads:

Description from Goodreads:

Ever wonder how plants got their names? Or can you guess what plant has over 40 common names because of all its uses? “All Things Are Edible Once” explores the world of herbalists and folklore. Learn how plants we consider weeds now were an important part of historical use. For example, did you know that dandelions were brought over to America–intentionally? Or did you know that the Saxons used creeping Charlie in beer making? Learn these facts and more on a journey into the world of the herbalists.

Review:

If you are interested in the folklore use of mid-western American plants this is a fun little reference guide. It only includes about 40 plants, but they seem to have been carefully chosen. The book is obviously self-published. There is the occasional editing error, such as reference to a lover being spurred instead of spurned and some of the formatting wanders at times. BUT the narrative is very personable and conversational, making the whole thing feel like you’re reading a long lost relatives foraging guide and, personally, I feel like this matches the subject significantly better than a slicker, more professional version would. If you’re looking for a far reaching, covers everything guide to foraging this is not the book for you. If you’re interested in a local’s limited, but individualized account of her time in the wild give this one a try. I can more easily see this selling well in a park gift shop than Amazon, but it has a place on the shelves for sure.

What I’m Drinking: An almond milk latte from the Webster Groves Garden Cafe.

Graceling

Book Review of Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

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Graceling

I bought a copy of Graceling, by Kristin Cashore.

Description from Goodreads:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight – she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…

Review:
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. I went through a YA phase a couple years ago, but almost every YA book I’ve read since them has made me all sorts of ragey. This was an exception.

I thought Katsa was a marvelously strong female characters, but also able to be compassionate and kind. (Not just a man with tits, which is a very common misrepresentation of strong women in my experience.) In fact, learning this fact was one of her biggest challenges of the book.

I liked seeing a common gender trope turned on its head, as it’s usually the tortured hero, instead of a heroine. The few other times I have encountered this, it’s been accompanied by an inference that she struggles with her own violence because she’s female and a man wouldn’t be so bothered, because he’s strong enough to handle it. Making her reluctance to kill a gendered fault, not a moral dilemma. I never felt that here, even as Katsa fought to move past being little more than a brute. It was personal growth, not personal weakness.

We had male/female platonic friendships. We had supportive female/female friendships. (It passes the Bechdel test.) We had a same sex couple. We had a male romantic partner that was empathic, expressive and liked pretty things. We had a romantic pairing that was presented as valid, even when it didn’t end in wedding bells and baby bonnets. We had men willing to accept a woman as their leader and be more skilled than themselves, without feeling humiliated. So much to appreciate.

I did think Katsa’s dislike of dresses and hair and such pretty things compromised the authors attempt to make her both strong and female. Why can’t she be a strong fighter and like female things? It’s like she can be female and strong, but not feminine and strong. She can remain a woman, but she has to give up the trappings of her gender before she can be convincingly strong and valiant? (This is one of the few man-with-tits strong female character traps I noticed Cashore falling into.)

This and some of Katsa’s obliviousness and ‘specialness’ felt a cliched. As was the use of sexual deviance to make the villain especially evil. This is plot device that has been used so often that it’s lost all effectiveness for me. I see it and think, well, the author just grabbed a pre-formed baddie for this one, didn’t she? Sexual deviance is frequently used in books to telegraph that a man is not just a bad man (a bad man might just be violent), but a very bad man and if he targets children a very, very bad man. No depth or exploration of character needed, because these actions are already conveniently placed on the continuum of evil for reader connivance. Plus, I didn’t really think it matched the tone of the res of the book.

Lastly, I thought there was a notable change of pace between the first and the second half of the book and Katsa was a little too resilient, accomplishing things that really should have killed her, even with her Grace. But all and all, I enjoyed this book.

What I’m drinking: A sample of Gwy-u Latte, given to me by the proprietor of Traveling Tea, when I last visited. I’d mentioned that I enjoyed chicory and she thought I might enjoy Gwy-u Latte tea. I did, very much. It’s a “green guayusa herbal honeybush rooibos blend.”

Bob Stevenson

Book Review of Bob Stevenson, by Richard Wiley

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Bob Stevenson

I won a paperback ARC of Richard Wiley‘s Bob Stevenson through Goodreads:

Description from Goodreads:
Dr. Ruby Okada meets a charming man with a Scottish accent in the elevator of her psychiatric hospital. Unaware that he is an escaping patient, she falls under his spell, and her life and his are changed forever by the time they get to the street.

Who is the mysterious man? Is he Archie B. Billingsly, suffering from dissociative identity disorder and subject to brilliant flights of fancy and bizarre, violent fits? Or is he the reincarnation of Robert Louis Stevenson, back to haunt New York as Long John Silver and Mr. Edward Hyde? Her career compromised, Ruby soon learns that her future and that of her unborn child depend on finding the key to his identity. 

Review:
I’m approaching my 300th book of the year (It’s Sept.) and I bet I haven’t given a dozen books five stars. But Bob Stevenson deserves it. Heck, I’d probably give it five stars for Gerard alone, who has to be the cutest, most genuine character I’ve read in a while. He was a true pleasure to read and I adored the way people accepted him into their lives and loved him too.

But the rest of the characters were of interest as well. Ruby, who finds herself in a baffling and embarrassing situation. Archie/Bob who is fighting his own demons. Dr. Utterson and Bette, who provide the necessary sidekicks, along with Dad and the nun. All engaging in their own way. Granted, you never get to know them deeply, but they fulfill their role succinctly.

The writing is marvelous. I laughed repeatedly at the dry humor. The fact that you’re never wholly sure where the surreal stops and the actual paranormal might pick up kept me biting my nails. Lastly, I was thrilled to see non-white main characters and people successfully functioning with disabilities. All in all, a real winner for me.

What I’m drinking: My husband makes amazing coffee. He uses an aeropress and puts a dollop of heavy whipping cream in it. Yeah, heaven. I read Bob Stevenson while one on the go, and Hubs sent me off with the ambrosia of life.