Wolf

Wolf by Rachael Ball, 302 pages.

A graphic novel about Hugo, his brother, sister, and mother after Hugo's father dies. Hugo is young and finds it hard to believe that his father is truly gone, and he struggles to find his way. The family has to move, and his siblings and mother are on edge. In their exploration of the new neighborhood they find that the man next door is rumored to be a wolfman and to eat children. The other neighbor, a boy about their age, convinces them to build a time machine, one based on the movie version of the HG Wells story. Interesting, dreamy pencil drawings complement the mood of the story.

Becoming

Becoming by Michelle Obama, 426 pages

Michelle Obama's book is a joy to read. It is an even greater joy to listen to the former first lady read the audiobook to you. You get the same story either way, but listening to Mrs. Obama read the book, you get the feeling that she is telling the story to you, her good friend. She is an amazing woman who has led a great life, from her parents' apartment in Chicago to Princeton and Harvard Law, to her work at Sidley Austin where she met Harvard Law student Barack Obama.
In recounting their years together, Obama does a great job of balancing the personal and public  / professional.
A truly engaging book and a great account of the recent past.

Swing

Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess, 448 pages.
Noah and Walt have been friends for a long time. They are in high school, but, despite their best efforts, they are not cool. Both would play baseball if they could make the team, and each of them are feeling the pangs of unrequited love.
Noah is in love with his childhood friend Samantha, Sam. Walt falls for Divya, the slightly older woman who works at Out with the Old, the local thrift shop.
Divya shares Walt's taste in music, Sam and Noah share a fondness for poetry and art.

Part of the charm of Alexander's YA writing is the form he uses, the novel length free-verse poem. Many of his works are long, colorful, poems which illuminate the thoughts and feelings of the author's protagonists.

Alexander also uses his stories to subtly recommend his favorite books and music to his readers.
After reading Swing, I have put Dexter Gordon's Go on hold because of  the recommendation by Divya.

Also, I got the last signed copy of Swing for the Library at ALA. I saw the author sitting at a booth with a very short line (which should have been a warning that the line was closed). I got in line and then the three people in front of me and I were informed that the line was indeed closed. I asked if I could just stay in line and tell the author how much I admired his work, and was rewarded with the display copy.

Wrecked

Wrecked: An IQ Novel by Joe Ide, 343 pages.

The third book in Joe Ide's IQ series, Wrecked, does a nice job of continuing the series. Where the second book felt like a bridge between the fresh stand-alone story of  IQ, and the impending series of books-setting up the new partnership between Isaiah and his friend Dodson-the third book takes us in new and interesting directions, as the partnership shows the strain of the two characters differing styles. Isaiah is still the detecting part of the duo, and while some of his deductions seems a little forced, and there is more violence than some might like, this is an interesting and fun read. There are a couple of parallel investigations going on, with Dodson and Isaiah trying to keep their own secrets, but it all works out fairly well. An interesting detective story.

My Squirrel Days

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper, 240 pages.
Heartily recommended for fans of Kemper, especially of her portrayal of Kimmy Schmidt. Kemper, as she writes here, seems to be channeling her popular character (or maybe the character is her and accurately portrays her humor). Quite a fun book to read and even more fun to listen to, as Kemper narrates the audio. There is nothing earth-shattering or particularly revelatory here, it is just light, fun reading.
My favorite book by a comedian so far in 2019.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart, 723 pages.

A wonderfully detailed, and accessible biography of America's most popular, iconic, and, arguably, the most consistently fair Supreme Court Justice.
The author met Ginsburg in 1998 or so, and between 2000 and 2006 was able to interview the justice about once per year.
De Hart follows Ginsburg from her childhood in Flatbush, through law school at Harvard and Columbia, her time teaching at Rutgers, and at NYU, and her travels and writing on comparative law. The author does a wonderful job showing Ginsburg as a woman committed to her work and her family as she  began expanding her career and working on cases for the ACLU.
After a series of key cases before the Supreme Court, Ginsburg was appointed to the D.C. Circuit in 1980 by Jimmy Carter, and then to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton in 1993. Throughout all of this De Hart keeps the book moving at a pace that keeps you reading. It's a fascinating story and it is extremely well-told.

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman, 753 pages.

Bergman, a correspondent for the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, presents a detailed, and well-indexed history of the Israeli government's evolving program of assassinations. Targets have varied over the years from very specific individuals, with layers of approval necessary, to the "Grass Widow" method that at times seems like "anyone within a given area with a gun is a target."
It was amazing to see how many future Prime Ministers were involved in the various incarnations of these programs, from Menachem Begin as commander of the Irgun, to former paratrooper Ariel Sharon as IDF commander, and then Defense Minister, to Yitzhak Rabin as defense minister.
From letter bombs (which almost never worked), to the failed tracking a terrorist to Oslo which resulted in the  gunning down the wrong man, to the carefully planned, but almost comically botched poisoning of Khaled Mashal in Jordan right outside of the Hamas offices, the Mossad and Shin Bet were not always as successful as their reputation would indicate.
The more recent methods involving computers, drones, decoys, and shooting blinds seem to be more effective and have a quicker response time, but the morality is perhaps even murkier. This interesting, and provocative book raises many questions.

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank, adapted by Ari Foldman, Illustrations by David Polonsky, 149 pages.

Ari Folman and David Polonsky have produced a wonderfully illustrated version of Anne Frank's famous diary. The rich, colorful drawings enhance the story and bring the iconic book to life for a new audience.
Authorized by the Anne Frank, and using the text from Anne Frank's diary, it is hoped that "it will introduce a new generation of young readers to this classic of Holocaust literature."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling, 341 pages.

The second book in Rowling's famous series, we listened to this one on a road-trip as the last year ended and the new year began. The audio of the Harry Potter series are read by the incomparable Jim Dale and are a great delight to listen to. In this book, Harry begins his second year at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are back, but Harry has not heard from them all summer, due to the interference of a rogue house-elf, Dobby. Dobby spends a lot of time and effort trying to convince Harry to avoid Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, starts her first year at the school, and she plays a crucial role in the book. Tom Riddle makes his first appearance, and this years DATDA teacher is Gilderoy Lockhart. A fun read.

The Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe

The Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe by Rebecca Erbelding, 368 pages.

An interesting look at a little-known group of Americans who attempted to overcome the strong antisemitism in the United States government and to do something, anything, to rescue as many of Europe's Jews as possible. While they were able to claim some successes, and the tireless work of John Pehle, Florence Hodel, and Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau did help save a number of people, they were hampered by the antisemitic attitudes of members of the State department and members of the British government (both State and the British seemed to object to any plans). Often they were stymied by the "best way we can save everyone is by winning the war" attitude of the military. And so the War Refugee Board and its agents attempted to get non-combatant and allied governments to agree to take Jewish refugees in. They attempted to get visas and papers to Jews, to bribe Nazi officials, anything to let Jews leave occupied territories. Raoul Wallenberg worked for the WRB, as did a number of other interesting agents, some selfless, and some more on the self-serving side of the spectrum. A fascinating book.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, 289 pages.

Moshfegh, author of the novel, Eileen, and the short story collection Homesick for Another World, among others, is comfortable (or at least very good at) writing about dark situations that seem as though they should be impossible. Moshfegh makes it all seem matter-of-fact though. The unnamed narrator of this novel has decided to take a year off. Her parents, with whom she had distant and difficult relationships, have both died, she has broken up with Trevor, the boyfriend she does not really like (and who doesn't care for her), and she has lost her job. She has enough money, but nothing really appeals to her except sleep. So, with the help of a criminally negligent therapist, our narrator, decides to medicate herself into a year-long sleep. Her only friend Reva makes vague attempts at intervention, but is easily distracted by her own wants and needs. Moshfegh makes this bizarre narrative a compelling and eerily interesting book. While there is no one to root for, the story pulls you along. I listened to about half of the book and read the rest. Julia Whelan does a great job narrating the audio.

9 from the Nine Worlds

9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan, 150 pages.

Nine short stories featuring the characters from Rick Riordan's popular Magnus Chase series. Magnus is a Norse demi-god, and his companions include beings from the nine realms of Norse myth as they journey through Jotunheim, Mdgard, Svartalfheim, Alfheim, Hellheim, Asgard and the rest.
Riordan does a very good job with this series and with his characters, integrating the myths in with his stories. Fans of Neil Gaiman's Norse stories and of Riordan's Greek and Roman series will enjoy. A very good cast of narrators read for the audio book.

Half-Blood Blues

Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, 321 pages.

One of those library and book things that keep happening and that no longer surprise me all that much is that there are great books and great authors that zoom on by you sometimes. I heard the early buzz about Washington Black last year and read it relatively soon after it came out, but somehow I had gotten the idea that this was Edugyan's first novel. Turns out it wasn't. Somehow I had missed the Booker award finalist title from 2011 that was the Canadian author's second novel. So, I read this because I was fond of Washington Black, but I have got to say that I enjoyed this book even more. I think, because I hadn't heard of Half-Blood Blues, that I was expecting it to be not-quite-up-to the level of writing that Edugyan had achieved with her most recent book. I was wrong. Edugyan is an excellent writer and a great storyteller.
Half-Blood Blues moves between the early years of World War II and 1992. The Hot-Time Swingers were a jazz band featuring Chip Jones on drums, Sidney Griffiths on bass, Paul Butterstein on piano, Big Fritz on clarinet, the incomparable Hiero (Hieronymous) Falk on trumpet, along with their manager Ernst von Haselberg, filling in sometimes. In 1939, in Berlin, they have fallen on hard times. They are not able to play gigs anymore; Hiero was considered a "mischling," with a German mother and an African father, Paul was Jewish, and Chip and Sid were African-American. And they were playing jazz in Nazi Germany, which wasn't the best career choice. As the threat of war looms and their lives become more precarious a potential lifeline appears. Famed trumpeter and bandleader Louis Armstrong is in Paris. He has heard of them and he is interested in playing with them; he is particularly interested in playing with Hiero, whom he dubs the young Louis. If the Hot-Time Swingers can get papers to leave Germany before the war starts, they might be safe and working again, but complications arise.
The narrative moves back and forth between the war years and 1992 when the first jazz festival devoted to Falk is taking place. Sid, who is telling the story, and Chip offer different answers to the questions about what might have led the Nazis to detain Falk, and what happened to him. They both go on a journey to find some answers.
This is a wonderful story about jazz, the war, memory, old grudges, and jealousy, both professional and personal. Ably narrated by Kyle Riley.

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas, 270 pages.

The 2018-2019 winner of the Sophie Brody medal for outstanding work of Jewish Literature tells the story of Joseph, a graduate student whose father has recently died. Joseph's mother is Jewish and his father, Ahmed al-Raqb, is a Muslim. Thanks to  a fragment of an old document his father sends him, Joseph discovers that generations of the al-Raqb men have served as watchmen of the Ibn Ezra Synagogue in Cairo. Lukas leads us on a journey through time as we meet the first watchman, Ali ibn al-Marwani, living a thousand years ago, and then encounter members of the family again throughout the years, as they protect the Synagogue and help preserve the history and heritage of the congregation that has reputedly existed since the time of Moses. An interesting novel with a great sense of time and place and characters who illuminate the narrative and move the story along.

The Nickel Boys

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, 224 pages.

Due to be released in July of 2019, Whitehead uses his prodigious talent to tell the story of Elwood Curtis and Jack Turner, two young black men caught up in a hellish parody of justice in the Jim Crow South, both of them remanded to the Nickel Academy, a Florida juvenile reformatory. Elwood accepted a ride in a stolen car on his way to his first college class. That was his crime, and for that he finds himself sentenced to Nickel, where he suffers through severe beatings and daily encounters with sadistic adults. A firm believer in the teachings of Dr Martin Luther King, Elwood must decide how far he can allow his principles to bend without allowing them to break, how much hate he can answer with love. Elwood, Turner, and the other boys must try to survive and find their way to one of the four paths out of Nickel.

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, 310 pages.
When Tom saves the Head Historian of London from a knife attack he unwittingly becomes a part of a great conspiracy. And he suffers for it fast.
London is one of the bigger Traction Cities, mechanized cities that wander the land devouring smaller towns, using them for parts and enslaving their people.
The whole mobile cities eating other cities was new to me (even though this book came out in 2001, I hadn't hear about it) and having the two main characters, Tom and Hester, being on the run in a waste land wherein they would have to find a town or city and then find some way to board said town or city made for an interesting story. The movie is out now (gone now?) and I may see it someday. I look forward to reading the second volume in "The Hungry Cities Chronicles", Predator's Gold.