Review: The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

This took me over a year to finally finish reading, and of course it was a book club read. With the 2016 Summer Olympics having just happened I figured it'd be a great time to finish it. I particularly enjoyed the story and the writing style, which is what kept me going once I sat down to read. I think knowing I'd enjoy the book once I sat down to read it is what hindered me. Knowing that I'd need a few hours of uninterrupted time kept from reading it. So I finally decided tonight that I'd keep reading until I was done and 2 hours later here I am writing my review and I don't feel guilty about staying up too late.

In all, Brown's writing style made me feel like I was one of the young men who grew up poor, and then I felt like I was right there on the water vying for a spot on the varsity boat, and eventually as if I were a member of the crew team that won the Olympics.

This is an amazingly written book based on a true story of underdogs. It's an inspiration to every reader and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, hardy story about overcoming the odds. One does not need to have an interest in sports, let alone crew. This story is so much more than crew. Like any great team sport, the story is so much more than the sport. It's about individuals coming together to form a team, a bond, a family, and a connection that is beyond breaking. It's about working through the obstacles together, only to make celebrating the successes that much sweeter. The Boys in the Boat is all of that, and so much more. It's about the small town underdogs with little to no experience on a national level, let alone an international level, giving their home country hope, excitement, and pride during a difficult time during our nation's, and world's, history.

A tear-jerker of happiness for sure, The Boys in the Boat, left me feeling proud of these boys, and proud of my country, for working their asses off and representing us in an amazing way on the international stage.

**
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown
Paperback
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
My rating: 5 out of 5

I read this, or rather listened to an audio version, for a book club I found out about from a member I usually see at my usual book club called Vermont Books 'n' Brews. This other one is run out of the Maclure Library in Pittsford, VT. The library itself has so much history that I could write a post just about the building! But that's for another day.

The Art of Racing in the Rain was the perfect book for me to read for the first time with this club because I was immediately drawn in and felt accepted by the dog as the main character. I thoroughly enjoyed how the story was told from the perspective of Enzo. His temperament and character is so well developed that I felt immediately welcomed and at home. We were immediately friends! I couldn't stop listening to the audio version and one day I'll go back and read the book. I have a feeling that I won't be able to put it down and will most likely finish it in one sitting.

Enzo and his owner manage to stay together despite everything that happened over the course of their relationship. Stein did an excellent job of showing how a dog is truly a part of the family and doing it from the dog's perspective. Enzo is shown to be a philosopher, and it's almost to easy to forget that he's not human until we are reminded of his obsession with not having opposable thumbs.

 

This is a truly heart-warming story about what it means to hope, to have unconditional love for another being, loyalty to one's best friend, and the meaning of family.

 

The ending tugged at the heart strings and made me cry, which is significant because I never cry when I read a book, watch a movie or show. Yet, I would've been upset if it had ended any other way. I can't wait to see the movie!

Review: Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Audiobook
Published February 28th 2012 by Recorded Books

Jodi Picoult never fails to write a wonderful story that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. I love that she keeps the punchline a secret until nearly the end of the book. It's the suspense that keeps me from putting the book down (or stop listening in this case)!

I kept wondering whether Luke was going to wake up or if they'd take him off life support or keep him on it for any length of time. I feel like it could've gone either way and the decision/result is ultimately what was needed for the story and for the characters.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending and the ultimate choice the family made. I also didn't understand the point of the epilogue and how it tied, or rather didn't, into the rest of the story. I think it would've had a better impact on the reader had the epilogue been about how the family members are doing after their decision and what they're all up to now. If that's the only complaint I have of Jodi's story, then it's not much of a complaint or critique is it?

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Mud Season by Ellen Stimson

Mud Season: How One Woman's Dream of Moving to Vermont, Raising Children, Chickens and Sheep, and Running the Old Country Store Pretty Much Led to One Calamity After Another by Ellen Stimson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I finally finished a book for book club! We decided to read this in April at the height of mud season in Vermont. Although this was a quick read, it was also a bit annoying in that the author seemed to have an attitude that she was better than the locals and didn't want to "assimilate" at all. The community rejected her because she didn't accept them and she didn't seem to understand, or even want to understand, why her ideas weren't being accepted. Stimson did fully admit that she was always jumping from one project to the next, and while I understand that it's difficult to manage a store, especially in a town you're unfamiliar with, I couldn't help but be annoyed that she was making decisions based on her misconceptions of the area. She thought she knew what was best and made assumptions, rather doing her research and taking the time to figure out what the locals wanted. As a flatlander myself who moved to southern Vermont and eventually to central Vermont, I learned very quickly within a few months that I needed to adjust to my new community instead of the other way around. She just didn't seem to get that, or if she did then it wasn't conveyed very well in the book.

It was a quick, easy read in part due to her obvious lack of book writing experience. It often sounded like journal entries and an inner monologue. Some people enjoy that style, but it really turned me off because it took away from the story at hand.

Also, at some point I'd like to try the recipes she calls Vermont recipes in the back of the book. I laughed out loud at that section.