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hazelkatherinelarkin's reviews
7 reviews
More After the Break: A Reporter Returns to Ten Unforgettable News Stories by Jen Maxfield
3.0
More After the Break is 'a grand book'. The premise is really interesting - a journalist revisits ten of the stories she covered over her twenty years in the business - but the book doesn't live up to the promises of the premises. The writer's own ego gets too much in the way of the stories she is revisiting, and (re)introducing her audience to.
I was more than slightly amused when, in the conclusion, Maxfield tells her listener/reader that, when she was writing the book, her editor gently suggested she 'occasionally include' herself. I fear the writer took this too much to heart: One of the elements of the book that grated most on my nerves was how Maxfield - in every essay - reminds us that she has a Master's Degree from Columbia, and manages to centre herself in every story. I know the difference between introspection and self-examination, and virtue-signaling - and 'More After the Break' is more of the former that the latter.
The first chapter - the tale of Paul Esposito, whose legs were sheared off in the Staten Island Ferry Disaster of 2003 - held my attention, as I learned of this survivor, and how his life had been saved by an English nurse who was on the same ferry. Sadly, none of the other eight chapters had the same effect.
All told, this is the kind of book worth reading only if there is no other reading material close to hand.
I was more than slightly amused when, in the conclusion, Maxfield tells her listener/reader that, when she was writing the book, her editor gently suggested she 'occasionally include' herself. I fear the writer took this too much to heart: One of the elements of the book that grated most on my nerves was how Maxfield - in every essay - reminds us that she has a Master's Degree from Columbia, and manages to centre herself in every story. I know the difference between introspection and self-examination, and virtue-signaling - and 'More After the Break' is more of the former that the latter.
The first chapter - the tale of Paul Esposito, whose legs were sheared off in the Staten Island Ferry Disaster of 2003 - held my attention, as I learned of this survivor, and how his life had been saved by an English nurse who was on the same ferry. Sadly, none of the other eight chapters had the same effect.
All told, this is the kind of book worth reading only if there is no other reading material close to hand.
Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams
5.0
This book, though short, is filled with wisdom, insight, and raw facts.
It is a must-read for anyone concerned about the current state of the world, and the people who inhabit it.
It is a must-read for anyone concerned about the current state of the world, and the people who inhabit it.
Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan
4.0
I read this book in one sitting and loved it. There were a few things that struck me as implausible; but then I reminded myself that this is a work of fiction, not a History textbook!
Sarah Crossan is a beautiful writer, and there are some gorgeous turns of phrase in this novel. Sarah is a poet and that is obvious even when she writes prose. It was also quite the treat to read a book set during An Gorta Mór where that event was the backdrop, rather than the main feature.
Read this book if you would like to enjoy some writing by a fine writer, a story that rolls gently along, and the odd surprise.
Sarah Crossan is a beautiful writer, and there are some gorgeous turns of phrase in this novel. Sarah is a poet and that is obvious even when she writes prose. It was also quite the treat to read a book set during An Gorta Mór where that event was the backdrop, rather than the main feature.
Read this book if you would like to enjoy some writing by a fine writer, a story that rolls gently along, and the odd surprise.
Sorry for the Inconvenience by Farah Naz Rishi
5.0
It would be untrue to say that I read "Sorry for the Inconvenience" in one sitting. I read it in two, but only because I needed to sleep.
This is a gorgeously-written memoir it rolls along and occasionally jolted me, but I loved that it was not "Trauma Lit" (not dissing traum lit - it's what I write myself!). I found great pleasure in reading a memoir that was not an exorcism of the writer's ghosts, but a whistlestop tour of her life including major life-events and struggles.
"Sorry for the Inconvenience" is a well-written story with a few hidden gems in the form of turns of phrase that really made me appreciate the author's facility with language.
This is a gorgeously-written memoir it rolls along and occasionally jolted me, but I loved that it was not "Trauma Lit" (not dissing traum lit - it's what I write myself!). I found great pleasure in reading a memoir that was not an exorcism of the writer's ghosts, but a whistlestop tour of her life including major life-events and struggles.
"Sorry for the Inconvenience" is a well-written story with a few hidden gems in the form of turns of phrase that really made me appreciate the author's facility with language.
Plus Size Pregnancy: What the evidence really says about higher BMI and birth by Sara Wickham
5.0
I am a huge fan of Sara Wickham's - her work is always well-researched, considered, and informed.
I found much sense and reassurance in this book.
I found much sense and reassurance in this book.