The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic

The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic, by Jessica Hopper, 426 pgs 

Much of the time, reading criticism of someone else's artistic work is pure drudgery, but this book is just the opposite. Jessica Hopper's glorious prose is witty, hyperbolic and aggressive--just like a rock critic should be. This book is essentially a collection of articles and interviews from the last twenty years of the author on a band circuit in Chicago, where she built her own career without any schooling or professional network--a monumental task for anyone in this field. She wrote her heart out for music, chronicling the rise of Chance the Rapper, lamenting the capitalist take-over of meaningful punk rock venues and applying feminist theory to outdated ideas of rock music--the lack of inclusion and tearing down the punk rock "boys" club--band by band. Particularly fascinating is her transcription of an interview with Jim Derogatis, a fellow music critic working at the Chicago Tribune, who details how his investigative work led to R. Kelly being prosecuted for sexual assault. Each essay is more or less a memoir of Hopper's fixation on music and how it helps her learn more about herself and ourselves. The great thing about reading music criticism is getting to listen to the music after you've read something--try to hear what Hopper is hearing--and in so doing, you become a more involved listener. 

If Something Happens to Me

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay, 324 pages

Five years ago, Ryan Richardson and his girlfriend Alison Lane were spending some quality time together when they were attacked. Ryan was knocked out and Alison (and her dad's BMW) disappeared. When the ensuing investigation turned up nothing, everyone assumed Alison was dead, and many people thought Ryan murdered her. But now, the missing BMW has been pulled up from the bottom of a lake, and there are two dead guys inside, who nobody at all seems to know. There's definitely something more to this story.

This was a quick read and fine for a summer afternoon, but it also felt a bit underdeveloped, like I was reading out an outline or Cliff's Notes version of the story instead of the novel itself. If you want twists and turns and don't really care to read too deeply, this one might be for you. Otherwise, there are better thrillers out there.

Candidly Cline

 Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee, 320 pages.

Cline Alden loves music, just like the other Alden women before her. But these days her mama doesn't seem interested in music, insisting that it won't get Cline anywhere and that she should be practical. So when Cline hears about a young songwriters workshop forty minutes away at the University of Lexington she's sure she has to go, and just as sure her mama won't understand. With some fibbing and some help from her gran she manages to get to the workshop, where she realizes just how much of herself she's been keeping to herself. Which only becomes more obvious when she starts falling for her songwriting partner when she hasn't even told anyone she likes girls yet. 

This book was so extremely wholesome and honest. Despite being a middle grade novel Ormsbee's prose is rich and lush, and Kentucky comes through clear and strong. I also appreciate how focused this book stayed, not going off on the common diversions I was expecting from a coming of age novel and instead staying very focused on it's own themes. It also gave me a good list of classic country music to look into. Overall, I found this novel so emotionally fulfilling and smart, and I would definitely recommend it to others, middle schoolers or adults.

The Friendship Study

The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett, 307 pages

Former firefighter Jesse hasn't been feeling like himself since he was in a career-ending car accident a few years back. History professor Lulu has just returned to her hometown after a rough exit from her last job abroad and is having trouble connecting with her new colleagues. Their mutual friend George sets them up on a blind date that seems to go nowhere...but when both sign up for a study on how adults make friends, the sparks begin to fly, despite a strict no-sexual-relationships rule between study participants.

This is an awkward story about awkward people, and while that may make it more realistic than most romance novels, the writing is also awkward, making the whole book a bit lacking. There are plenty of steamy scenes that will definitely appeal to some readers, but the overall plot and character development leaves a lot to ask for. Meh.

The Wealth of Shadows

The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore, 366 pages

In the days leading up to World War II, there were definitely politicians around the globe that had an inkling that Hitler was planning to invade most of Europe. But the people who had the best idea? The economists. The Wealth of Shadows details a group of real life economists, tax attorneys, and U.S. Treasury Department leaders who created a secret organization to try to stymie the Nazi war machine without officially breaking the U.S. neutrality agreements. The creativity of these plans, the hard work on creating legal loopholes, and the forward-thinking planning is incredible, and I'm glad Moore was able to shed some light on this previously unknown element of World War II. Who knew that economics could form such a captivating basis for historical fiction??

Logical Family

 

Logical Family: a Memoir by Armistead Maupin 292 pp.

The well admired author of the wonderful Tales of the City series gives an insight into his upbringing in North Carolina and his later life in San Francisco. One can hardly imagine this icon of the LGBTQ+ world as a conservative Southerner who once worked at the TV station owned by the infamous, anti-gay Senator Jesse Helms. He also served as a US Navy officer in Vietnam and Cambodia receiving recognition from former President Richard Nixon. By his own admission, his early rampant conservatism was an attempt to finally win his father's affection. Maupin began his writing career working in the news media and went on to write about the endearing cast of characters in the Tales books which began as a serial in a small California newspaper. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, read by Maupin. It brought back fond memories of when he performed here with the Gateway Men's Chorus many years when I met him and was totally charmed.

Palestine

 

Palestine by Joe Sacco (1996) 288 pages

I've had reporter and artist Sacco's The Fixer and Other Stories on my reading list for awhile. Then I saw he wrote this book of graphic journalism called Palestine. It is available on Hoopla. Considering current events I thought this was a great opportunity to learn more about the Palestinian perspective. This was written back in the 1990s. I was in high school and definitely not paying attention to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. There are nine chapters. It took some time to get used to the chaos of some of the comic panels. Narration and speech bubbles are at angles or follow an "S" curve. Eventually I did grow to enjoy the style of Sacco's black and white sketches. Joe Sacco (illustrated with prominent round glasses and lips) is there on the ground meeting and interviewing everyone he can. He shares the history with chapter 2 containing columns of text and smaller illustrations compared to the rest of the book. Sacco witnesses and hears dozens of stories about the Occupation, the colonial power of Israel taking land and homes and lives to control and reduce the Arab/Muslim presence of Palestinians. He visits multiple refugee camps. He encounters the red tape of the Israeli military. He experiences the hospitality of tea served in every Palestinian home. He hears prison stories and stories of violence. He hears how the court system works against Palestinians and the Israeli hospitals avoid treating serious injuries of refugees. He discovers the differences of opinion about peace talks from the different Palestinian factions. Chapter 8 contains an especially heartbreaking tragic story from a Palestinian mother. Old folks tell stories of this happening decades ago. Teenagers tell stories of it happening then in the '90s. The news shows it is still happening now. Joe Sacco talks to Israelis, who have come from other Western countries, too. It is a complicated political issue, but identifying which group Sacco sees as the colonizers and which are the oppressed is not hard.

Daughters of Shandong

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung, 386 pages

Hai is the eldest daughter of a wealthy landowner in Shandong, China when the People's Liberation Army begins sweeping through the country. As a girl in a traditional household, she, her sisters, and her mother are all second-class citizens, so when the decision comes to flee to Quingdao and eventually Taiwan, Hai's father and grandparents leave them behind to face the Communists and the hardships that come with being stripped of all shelter, food, and other necessities. 

Daughters of Shandong tells of Hai's journey with her mother and youngers sisters to Taiwan, including their time begging for food, living in refugee camps, and walking hundreds of kilometers in the hopes of finding a relative who would take them in. It's an interesting personal experience of this slice of Chinese history, and is told almost like an oral history or memoir. While it's perhaps not my favorite historical fiction, I'd love to see more stories from this time period and experience.

The Rom-Commers

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center, 321 pages

For the past decade, Emma has put her life on hold, caring for her disabled father while her younger sister finishes her education. Now, however, she has a chance at a dream job: writing a romantic comedy screenplay with her writing idol Charlie Yates. Unfortunately, as much as he can write just about anything else under the sun, Charlie can't write a romantic comedy to save his life...nor is he particularly interested in trying. But Emma didn't fly halfway across the country and put her dad in her sister's willing but unexperienced care just to churn out a lackluster screenplay.

The setup of this novel is not the greatest, but it feels like a good old fashioned rom-com. Just the right amount of slapstick, a few tears, and some decent meaningful kisses, and there you have it. I have a few quibbles with the relationship (Emma lets him get away with SO MUCH casual rudeness — but then she also goes into it with a "I can fix him!" mentality, so...) and I think they're both too dramatic to have a long-term relationship. But this is a rom-com in book form, so I'll let it slide.

Daughter of Mine

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda, 354 pages

Hazel has never enjoyed returning to her hometown of Mirror Lake, but when her father (a longtime detective with the Mirror Lake police department) dies, she has no choice. She's always had a difficult relationship with her two brothers, and the revelation that their dad left his house and everything in it to Hazel has certainly not helped anything. Complicating matters even more is the fact that two cars have now been dragged out of the depths of the lake, and one can only have gone in from the yard of the house that is now Hazel's. And now, when she stays in the house, she can't fight the feeling that someone is watching her.

This was a quick read, and a fun way to spend an afternoon. However, I wouldn't put it on the top of my list of thrillers and it probably won't stick with me for much longer than it takes to type out this review. It's a solid OK in my book.