jcburcham's reviews
291 reviews

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

adventurous informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Audio. This was my first book by Geraldine Brooks, an Australian-American author. The amount of research she invested in this novel is what makes it a masterpiece. She poured her heart and soul into this book, and you can feel it. This is absolutely what I love about historical fiction.

This book is told from a handful of different viewpoints, some present day and some pre-Civil War. As she explains in the Afterword, Brooks began to realize this book would need to be about race as much as the racehorse, Lexington. Owning racehorses was considered extremely prestigious, particularly during Lexington's lifetime. Much of the care, training, racing and success of the horses was tied directly to Black horseman (often enslaved), but details about individuals are scarce. An article Brooks read from Harper's New Monthly magazine published in July 1870(!) refers to the existence of a painting by Thomas Scott in which Lexington is being led by "Black Jarret, his groom". The painting itself has been lost, and despite Brooks' exhaustive efforts, she could not find further information about this Jarret. So she created a character named Jarret, and the life he leads in the book is inspired directly by facts she uncovered in her research. 

As anyone who has ever truly loved a horse knows, the bond between human and horse can transcend words. The author's ability to capture this special bond between Jarret and Lexington further shows that she has not only researched the living daylights out of this subject, but she has firsthand knowledge of this bond. Everything about Jarret's decisions and actions surrounding Lexington were completely believable and often remarkable. I love that we can speculate from Lexington's ACTUAL SKELETON (on display at the International Museum of the Horse) about his health and what may have caused the blindness that eventually ended his racing career (and led to an extremely successful breeding career). 

The other characters provided layers of context that created the rich backdrop for the story that is Lexington (or, as his skeleton was once simply referred to, "Horse"). 

Lexington is no mere "Horse" and this is not your average horse story. You will become invested in this story and learn so much along the ride.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

Can't stand main character. Poor communication skills.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Audio. This book was such an unexpected delight. Somehow I had surmised from the synopsis (which I had not read carefully) that since this was a book about computer game development, there was probably some fantasy element that wouldn't appeal to me. I don't know what I was thinking.

This book is a beautiful study on how to be a good friend, woven around an interesting theme of how one becomes interested in game development. The writing is moving and genuine. In the first 20% or so, I teared up multiple times. 

I'd like to reread a physical copy so I can just absorb the writing. I loved this book so much. ❤️

Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl by Jonathan C. Slaght

adventurous funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Combination of audio and physical book. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's received great reviews but I still was not prepared for how much I would enjoy it. Listening to the author narrate his own book was unexpectedly delightful, at times reminiscent of what it must feel like to sit in the same room (or cabin) with him as he recounts shocking story after near-miss again and again. I lost track of how many times I realized my facial expression visibly communicated my disbelief (mouth agape, eyebrows raised). Slaght is a very talented writer and/or there was an exceptional team of editors who worked on this book--I cannot imagine how it could possibly be improved. I am excited to hear he is working on a new book about tigers and will definitely not wait two years after its release to read it.

I want to gift this book to everyone!! (And then I sadly remember that not everyone gets as excited about a good conservation story as I do. )

Me, when John and Sergey capture their first owl:
https://giphy.com/gifs/mrw-F8ByRhbCzm4F2

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

3.0

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

3.0

Audio. I feel like quite an outlier in terms of my enjoyment of this book. I wanted to love it, and the premise absolutely sounds like something I would love, but too much of the story and character development felt contrived and/or disgenuine. Elizabeth Zott did not feel completely believable to me and as a result, I had trouble connecting with the story. The element of rowing felt very true/genuine and I learned in the audio interview with the author that she is a rower and did not have to research anything for that part. Of course, I loved the dog too, but even some aspects of how he was portrayed felt just a little too contrived. I hope I'm not being overly critical because of all the hype this book has received (already in the works for an Apple TV series!); it just didn't live up to those expectations for me.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Audio. JFC, the characters and the story were so self absorbed. This was my first Taylor Jenkins Reid novel and I am just so disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the audio version is extremely well performed with a full cast of characters, but that doesn't make up for the fact that I didn't care about a single person or the stories they had to tell. I thought about DNF'ing but I've been wanting to read a TJR novel for awhile and I couldn't let myself just quit. I think this book didn't work for me for a variety of reasons, including the format itself. Since it was all transcript, I missed having a lyrical narrative to show me what the protagonists were saying. It was all "tell" and very little  "show". Other than a few insightful comments that resonated with me, I labored to get through this one and I'm glad to be done!

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

3.5

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0