The Sound of Gravel

The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir by Ruth Wariner

Ruth Wariner is her mother's fourth child and her father's thirty-ninth. Ruth was born into a polygamist colony in rural Mexico about 200 miles outside of El Paso, Texas, where her grandfather, and then father, were prophets of a religious colony that believed that the only way for a woman to ascend to Heaven was to marry and have as many children as possible.

After her father was killed by his brother in a struggle to lead the religious community, her mother soon became the second wife of another apostle of the church. Ruth's family lived in a home that was not really much more than a hut, with no electricity and no running water. Not only was her stepfather abusive, but he could not support their growing family.  Ruth's mother was forced to travel back and forth between Mexico and the United States in order to get food stamps and other government assistance so they wouldn't go hungry.

This is a compelling story of a young girl who was determined to keep her siblings safe and found the courage to break away from an abusive step-father, cross the border, and make a life in the United States for them.

The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 

“The Devil in the White City” is the story of two men who never met, but both had a fascinating story: One was the director of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, and the other was a seductive serial killer in his mid-twenties.

This book is completely nonfiction, but as the author points out in the preface, everything – no matter how macabre or bizarre – is true. Pages and pages of notes and bibliographic entries fill the end pages of the book, which lends credibility to the author’s statement.

A boring history lesson this is not. The author tells the two stories in alternating chapters, and I found myself very interested in both of them. The story of Mr. Burnham, the fair’s director, was fascinating, and even though a reader might already know that the fair happened and was ultimately a success, the story reads with drama and excitement. The other story, that of H.H. Holmes, was also compelling for completely different reasons. Holmes’s story was mysterious, dark, and creepy, and was juxtaposed perfectly with Burnham’s.

The book reads like fiction, which makes the history come alive. I found myself wondering how I’d not learned more about the events in the book from history classes in school – a lot of current technology and inventions originated at the Chicago World’s Fair, such as the mass use of light bulbs, shredded wheat cereal, and even the Ferris wheel. The behind-the-scenes of the fair and its creation and execution are told wonderfully, and the author really conveys the frustrations of Burnham and his conflicts with other architects, artists, the government, and dangerous working conditions.

The author also does a great job at telling the story of the murderer Holmes without too much sensationalism or melodrama. Holmes was charismatic and friendly and could sweet talk anyone. It was this exterior that makes his true self even creepier. Holmes built an apartment-turned-hotel only blocks away from the fairgrounds with airtight rooms and vaults, gas chambers, a crematory, and vats of acid hidden in the walls between rooms, in closets, and below ground. His methods were precise and exact, and nearly untraceable.

If you love historical nonfiction, you’ll love to learn more about the period of American history when everything was changing. If you don’t love to read history, you will still likely enjoy the story of these two men, as well as learn a little in the process.

The book itself contains some pictures from the fair, which are great to see. The audiobook has a great narrator as well. I learned a lot about American life and history in the 1890s from this book, and enjoyed reading the exciting tale of the fair and the creepy story of America’s first serial killer. 

There is some disturbing content due to Holmes’s murders, but nothing too gory or descriptive is presented.

Give this book a shot, you’ll be glad you did!

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The Boston Girl

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

Addie Baum is the daughter of poor Russian immigrants that came to America in the early 1900s. The story starts in her early teenage years where as the third and youngest daughter, Addie has been privileged enough to attend the local public school, unlike her sisters that have been working in the factories since they came to America with their father.

Addie's mother has never accepted her new country and is constantly reminding everyone how much better their life was in Russia, which eventually drives her older sister out of the house to work in a department store downtown. To escape the constant turmoil in her home, Addie joins a Saturday book club, where she meets girls her own age who are Irish and Italian. When the girls start talking about their annual trip to Rockport Lodge, Addie knows her mother would never let her leave for a week to go "vacation" even if they could afford it, but Addie is determined to go. We follow Addie through her tumultuous twenties at a time when our country was evolving and exploring new roles for women.

This is a story of a young girl who aspires beyond what tradition dictates and longs to explore the world outside the limited scope in which her family exists. I enjoyed reading this story even though I felt like some of the characters could have been developed a little more.

Furiously Happy

Furiously Happy: a Funny book about horrible things by Jenny Lawson

“Furiously Happy” is by a blogger who readily admits that she’s clinically mentally unstable. She writes about her pills and their crazy side-effects and how all her mental and social disorders lead to pretty funny and embarrassing situations. She lets the reader know just how she feels about anything and everything that comes into her mind without any barriers. The author doesn’t really dwell on the illnesses she has, so if you’re looking for a book about depression or social anxiety, that’s not what this book is about. The subjects are ever-present though.

A reader might think that the book will be depressing, or at the very least bittersweet, but in fact Jenny Lawson is lough-out-loud funny most of the time. The title itself is about choosing to be furiously happy even when everything is awful around you.

The book is kind of a mess though, with no overall theme or anything. Each section is mostly the musings of the author on certain topics or situations she’s been in. There are lots of parts where she tells about her *very* interesting adventures where she (and the reader) can’t help but wonder if it’s actually everyone else who is crazy, because surely the amount of experiences that the author has had can’t all be attributed to her own mental state. Except the stuff about taxidermy – that is ALL her own thing.

One of the longer sections in the book is about the author’s trip to Australia with her best friend. That story and all of its facets were the highlight of the book for me. I was laughing at the scenes described, which include dressing like a kangaroo while chasing actual kangaroos, and wondering if it was noticed by the hotel staff that the carpet design in their room looks like a giant blood smear that leads toward the window (there are pictures).

The rest of the book, however, was a little lackluster for me. There are dozens and dozens of chapters, and they were funny. They were just all over the place. It felt like I was reading disjointed blog posts that just kept on coming. There was also a ton of strong language. Sometimes the strong words made the point funnier, but most of the time I felt like it was just excessive.

If you’re a fan of non-fiction humor, and enjoy episodic and standalone humorous chapters, you may enjoy this book. I did enjoy parts of it, but I would not re-read it in its entirety. In fact, there are only a couple chapters that I would potentially go back to at all.

Out of the Ashes

Out of the Ashes by Alicia Buck

Seventeen year old Ashelandra had an idyllic childhood, despite the loss of her mother when she was born. She has a father who adores her and she is surrounded by servants/friends in her father's household that love her. But all that comes crashing down when her father becomes ill and dies soon afterward. Unfortunately, she becomes the charge of her uncle and he gains control over her household and all of her land until she reaches the age of 21.  Her cousins are scared of their own father and he is unusually cruel to Ashelandra just because her mother was a sorceress.

Unbeknownst to her uncle, Ashelandra has inherited her mother's magic. Her magic is the only thing that keeps her sane, but she knows she must keep it hidden even while she is practicing and learning more about her abilities.

After her cousin is abducted, Ashelandra is recruited by the Prince to help search for her. She must use her magic to follow the trail and soon finds herself immersed in a world of magic that she had only ever dreamed about.

This is a fun twist on "Cinderella".  I enjoyed reading this book even though it was your typical young adult romance where the prince falls in love with the unknown servant when they are thrown together and must solve a mystery, while trying to hide their growing feelings for each other.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

In a reality where the supernatural exists, and the "indie kids" are constantly saving the world, what is everyone else doing? This book puts the heroics in the background, and focuses on a group of friends who just happen to go to the same school. There are moments when you can see the impact that body-snatching beings would have on a whole community, but for the most part, it's just a normal story about a mostly normal (but not without their own issues) group of friends.

The premise of the book was interesting to me, as I have never read another book like it, but the story fell flat. There's a reason fantasy books focus on the supernatural, and not what's going on in the background. I wasn't drawn to any of the characters, and I felt most of their problems were a little contrived. There was a little too much teen angst for my liking. 

There was one shining moment in the midst of all the mundane. Mikey, the narrator, suffers from OCD and in one scene he speaks to a therapist. The healthy attitude about mental illness was almost worth my disinterest in the rest of the book. Overall, I was excited to read something different, and it turned out not being that different at all.

Gold Eaters

Gold Eaters by Ronald Wright

This is an interesting fictional story, based on fact, on how the Spaniards invaded and conquered Peru. The story follows a young native boy, Waman, who was captured by the invaders and carried away to Spain where he was taught their language and dressed in their clothes. When the invaders sail back to conqueror the land of gold, Waman becomes their most valuable asset as the only person who is able to communicate with both peoples.

When Waman, christened Felipillo by the Spaniards, returns to his homeland, he must find a way to negotiate and earn trust with both his captors and the leaders of his native Peru. When all he really longs for is the freedom to search for his family that he lost so many years ago. Through Felipillo's eyes, we learn how disease and advanced weapons allowed the conquerors from Spain to come in a destroy the highly developed and socially sophisticated Incan Empire.