booktalkwithkarla's reviews
1236 reviews

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a moving novel about families and secrets, plus relational consequences from one night years ago. Every person in this story is fully human and leaps off the page. Dani Shapiro writes characters you will never forget. With a gun to my head, I couldn’t pick a favorite character. I loved this book and didn’t want it to end. This was my first of Shapiro’s novels but won’t be the last. 

“When she tells her story, as she will learn to do – to her brother, her father, her husband, her daughters, her shrink – this will be where she begins.“

The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope by Curt Thompson

hopeful inspiring slow-paced

4.75

Curt Thompson as a psychologist, writer, podcaster, and speaker offers so many insights about intersection or neurobiology and theology. For the past few years I’ve tried to read and listen and take in as much as I can. This book is about suffering and the formation of hope. 

Reading it along with my confessional community was a great experience. We talked about Thompson’s words and our own experiences as individuals and as a group. I learned from both the book and our conversations. And I recommend the book and being a part of a confessional community. 

If you were to see my copy of the book you would see marked passages throughout. This is one I will revisit often and pray to apply truths that align with God’s truth - in his Word (Bible) and in his creations (human mind and relationships).

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

This memoir found its way onto my to-be-read list because of its ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer (not public at time of publication), not Phil Knight or Nike. The writing is spectacular. And so is the story. Knight’s persistence and application of lessons learned from books (and education) is incredible. I was captivated by the story and the way it unfolds, staying up way past my bedtime. I’ll read everything Moehringer writes. 

Knight and the early team at Nike were so committed to building something meaningful. As a former runner I loved the parts about runners and running. I’m not sure how I feel about Nike the corporation now but this story that began in the 1960s is one that I’m glad to know. The book is so well written, it has a spot on my top books read this year. Give it a try. There lots to love. 

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Katherine Howe, Anderson Cooper

informative medium-paced

3.5

“This is the story of the extraordinary rise and epic fall of the Vanderbilt dynasty. This is the story of the greatest American fortune ever squandered.”

“No one can make money evaporate into thin air like a Vanderbilt.”

I love insider stories and this one co-authored by Anderson Cooper is about his mother and her family. Tracing back to the origin of the Vanderbilt money through the generation’s spending, Katherine Howe and Cooper share information public and private. Society during the Gilded Age is fascinating and opulent, even if the methods and means are questionable. I enjoyed reading this story of one family whose money (mass amounts), ego (ruthless), and parenting (lack of) was its downfall.

The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free by Gregg Olsen

dark emotional informative slow-paced

3.0

“It’s about the coverup. That’s what this story is about. Not the murder.”

“Some caught in the sticky threads, and probably others unknown, decided that their secrets were more important than the life of an Amish wife. And her little boy.”

“Eli married Ida to use her, not to live her.”

This is a book, in some ways a follow-up to another Gregg Olsen title, about the murder of Ida by her husband and the coverup that follows. Since the coverup is about husband Eli’s sexuality and relationships, much of the book centers on those details. This was unexpected to me and unpleasant. I like to read true crime for the psychological and legal aspects and this title dealt with that indirectly. Reading about Amish family was interesting, and confusing at times based on their names (many duplicated). The many secrets of the people involved in covering up the crime seem obvious based on Olsen’s research and yet remain unproven. Will there ever be justice for Ida? Olsen has done his best and for that I am grateful and overall glad I read The Amish Wife. 

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This is a horrific story about the neglect and abuse of people institutionalized, many of whom die. As Sage tries to find her twin sister and ultimately is held at Willowbrook, we get a front row seat to all of it including the deceit and lack of care. 

I found the history portions held weight for me but the storyline and writing were disappointing. I read this with my book club and the discussion added to my experience. Several in our group liked it and a few did not finish. I was in the middle. The real connections to Robert Kennedy and Gerardo Rivera were only touched in and I would have liked to know more. All in all this wasn’t a book for me. 

“The rumors were true. This was no school. It was a nightmare, a dumping ground for the broken and insane and unwanted.”

Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans by Jane Marie

funny informative medium-paced

3.0

Interesting history of MLM, one I knew only a little about even after being part of one. I had never heard of Jane Marie or her podcast (found book on Libby) so this content was all new to me. The early stories were companies I have never heard of. Jane Marie shared history (MLM and political), legal cases, stories taken from writings of and about the players involved, plus recent stories of MLM participants. I was fascinated to hear what uplines told downlines in each of the companies. Very similar to each other. Some of what she said resonated with me and some I disagree with wholeheartedly. Still glad it have listened to her read her journalistic take on MLMs. 

Also A Poet by Ada Calhoun

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

Rating 4 stars.

This non-fiction book is about the art scene, New York, relationships, and facing our past. Ada Calhoun writes about her father and his work, her own work, and her relationship with her father. Calhoun is a gifted writer. As she describes the people of the art scene including  poet Frank O’Hara, her father’s idol, she says “These people are the worst.” I agree. Reading about their lives and escapades wasn’t always fun. 

I did appreciate Calhoun’s situation, emotions, and response. She found a way to understand herself and her father better, and a way to honor art, New York, and humans. A well written memoir about a place and people I knew nothing about. I’m glad I read Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me. 

“I always wished that when I was young he’d just picked, once and for all, whether to be smart and thoughtful or arrogant and callous. Instead, he’d be one thing for a week or two and then without warning, the other.”

The Women by Kristin Hannah

challenging emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A few years ago my friend asked me to recommend books about the Vietnam War. I did a little research and didn’t come up with many so when I heard the topic of Kristin Hannah’s new book, I knew I had to read it. I was born in January 1969, my father and step-father served, and those connections solidified my interest. 

Hannah writes about the war and the aftermath of the war when women (and men) came home to a country less than welcoming with emotional, relational, and physical wounds. It’s heartbreaking and honest. Her ability to create fully formed characters is a testament to her talents. 

I laughed aloud when Frankie, Barb, and Ethel were in conversation. I cried deeply on a few occasions when Frankie’s parents entered the scene and other key events happened. This book surprised me with how much I enjoyed it considering it is about war. Keep them coming Kristin Hannah. I’ll continue reading anything you write. 

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Set in the horse show world, this novel about mean girls, secrets, romance, and murder the common thread is drama. The Parkers are moving from Texas to California. Heather, mother to two daughters, is desperate for her daughters to ride horses. Soon the family is enmeshed in that world. 

Eliza Jane Brazier organizes the book well telling the story from multiple points of view, including the detective’s. The individual chapters and perspectives lead up to revealing the victim and the murderer. 

I read to find out who made it out alive and how the issues were resolved. This was fine. Probably just not the book for me.