Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot by Jeffery J. McKenna

This was the hardest book to get through! I kept quitting and then picking it up again with a sigh. It never became enjoyable. The only reason I persisted is that I need to have something to ground my opinions on when we discuss this at the Ridgeview Book Club at Shirla Snow's house later this month. She is over the moon about this book! Probably because she heard the author speak, asked him to join our discussion live, and gave everyone a steep discount on purchasing the book It's twenty dollars, and he got them to her for ten bucks apiece. It's a nice book, with good quality paper, and much better than most self-published books. He's a local Santa Clara person, so it will be interesting to meet him.

Now, about this book. I thought it would describe the life of this patriot or at least elucidate his role in the Revolutionary War. And I had no idea there was an element of fantasy in the story--a time travel trope that took us back and forth to the 1700's and modern day. The modern day kid, Steve, is a bratty one who wins and essay contest on patriotism and then tries to understand this concept better.. His best friend is Grace, and they have this friendly relationship that is supposed to engage the main audience for this book: middle schoolers. Well, it is repetitive and boring. I cannot imagine any middle schooler being sucked in to any part of this story!

And when Steve goes back to Boston in the 1700's, there isn't much meat on the bones of the story of the various episodes (like the Tea Party) to explain what's going on that sparked the Revolutionary War. It's very vague and fragmented. We hear about Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, but only piecemeal. It's very confusing. And why Steve is so concerned that Dr. Warren be remembered for his role is a mystery. And we don't even find out what his role is, besides a few brief glimpses. Why on earth is Steve so enamored of this guy??? It''s not clear. At any rate, I will have to school myself when I go to this meeting and tone down my dislike of this book with the author present and other super-patriot women there, who many believe Trump is one. Ha! I will be temperate and be led by the Spirit, I HOPE!!!

The Last Flight - Neerja Bhanot's 17 hours of bravery that saved 340 lives - by Linda Davidson

 This book was a choice by someone in the "Friends" book group, begun by Marcia Oshita. Janet (club member) and I both asked in our text-discussion whose choice it was. No one fessed up! We didn't have much to say in the text thread. I wouldn't have read it at all if someone wasn't willing to lend it to me. Why? Because it's about 45 pages long and was $19.00 on Amazon!

It was a waste of a book, in my mind. The flight attendant showed amazing courage in this description, but we get NO CONTEXT or history about why or how all of this came together. It read kind of like a play... Not much really to say about it except this woman deserves a better story-teller or biographer!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

 What a happy surprise this little gem of a book is! Someone in our Stonebridge Friends book club recommended it, and we'll discuss it in August. It was available at the library now, so I snapped it up. It is witty, clever, sweet, and has TONS of literary allusions and suggestions. A wonderful little read! Well, not so little -- 258 pages, but they went by quickly.

There are some F bombs, but not too many. And there is some jumping into bed early in relationships, but these do not dominate the story. And I can live with them, given the sparkling dialogue and compassionate story. It's also got a little mystery that is tied up neatly and surprisingly at the end. The characters are delightful and you want them all to be your friend. I loved how the curmudgeonly A.J. develops into a very sweet person. 

One of the highlights for me is the way several people in the story describe what they like to read. They are so specific! And there are many books and short stories that are recommended and they would make a great TBR list on their own. The little town on Alice Island sounds quaint, and the book store is where you wish you could shop. I also loved it when A.J. was able to educate the police chief's taste and then grow a police book club grow.

I'm considering buying my own copy so I can reread it and mark up the parts I like best. It was fun to watch the relationship grow between Amelia, the book rep, and A.J., the book seller. I might do that in time for our meeting in August. I'm very curious to know who recommended this one. I'm also excited to see that this author has other books. And since this was published in 2014, maybe there are even more? I hope so!

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

This intriguing title promised an interesting read. It did not deliver. There were too many characters in the book club and I never did get a handle on them. I was always confused about who was whom. And the occasional critique or discussion of Austen was pretty obscure. Still, some of the writing and characterization was enjoyable and well done. Not well done enough to read again or to especially recommend, though. These characters meet over the course of the year and a broken marriage comes back together. One part I enjoyed, though, was the way the author would describe the characters' individual pasts...they were often funny and colorful, especially the only male member of the book club, Grigg. He had a fascinating relationship with his sisters, and this was enjoyable to read.

Occasionally an interesting northern California place would be mentioned and that would enliven my interest. It was minimal, however. I almost didn't finish this, and now I'm a little sorry that I wasted my time. When I'm browsing a used bookstore, I need to get on Amazon and read some reviews before I put my money on the table! Life is too short to read a ho hum book. I've been doing that too often lately! Time to get on to something good and meaty!!!! Or light and fun????

Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng

This is an incredible book! My friend Mary lent it to me, and I wasn't too excited to read a book about life in prison during Chairman Mao's regime. I had it for awhile before I started reading it. Then my friend Briant Davis suggested that we read this book for our book club. He thought it might help people understand his Chinese wife, Jasmine. Now I had a reason to read it, so I could decide if it would be appropriate for our book club or not...

And read it, I did. Even though Cheng's life is hard, it's not depressing or oppressive to read about. It's actually amazing to read about. The way the Chinese government treats this woman is almost unbelievable. So many things about her situation are hard to believe and understand! For example:

• they interrogate people over and over again
• they keep detailed records of what is said
• nothing is forgotten
• possessions confiscated are kept for years
• there are spies everywhere
• mandatory meetings with scripted agendas and actions
• nothing to read but Chairman Mao
• no freedom to choose anything
• painted signs and slogans that are expected to be believed
• police and government make many, many mistakes and aren't allowed to own them or admit them
• prison life is horrible
• people were expected to learn a profession (even medical doctors) by doing it, not studying it

Maybe it's trite to say it, but how could all of this happened? Was no one thinking or speaking out at all? How did this once-great society turn so completely ignorant and close-minded? It's an amazing look at a culture gone BAD!

The real message in this book for me was Cheng's courage and persistence. She refused to admit her "guilt" so matter what. She is an amazing person! She stood against unbelievable odds and stood firm, despite all kinds of physical, emotional, and spiritual torture.