Review: The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: September 2019
 

Hiram Walker was born into slavery. He doesn't remember much about his mother except that she was taken from him at a very young age. Hiram was born with special gifts, that he discovers when his life is in danger. Will he have to continue to live a life of slavery, or will he find a way out of his situation and find out what happened to his mother.

When I picked this title as my Book of the Month selection, I was very excited to read it. I'm not a big fan of non-fiction so I haven't read any of Ta-Nehisi's other books. I did try, Between the World and Me, but it never really grabbed my attention.

From the start I was engrossed in The Water Dancer. I loved the way the story was being told. Shortly through, though I found myself getting lost in the words and having to go back and read passages. This happened several times throughout the book and I found myself wanting to put it down and give up on it, but I stuck with it and overall it wasn't too bad. I'm giving it 3.5 stars for all of the stopping and rereading I had to do.

This was definitely a new take on the story of the Underground Railroad. We even have the opportunity to meet Harriet Tubman in this book. After finishing the book, we watched the movie Harriet that my daughter has been wanting to see since it was released. There were a lot of things in the movie, that I recall from the book and that made the book a little more interesting after the fact. Weaving actual truth into the story makes it a little better for me.

The story takes you on a journey through Hiram Walker's life, from his time living and working on the plantation, to when he is able to move into the big house where his father, the master lives. We see him grieve for several members of his community, but none more than the mother he can't remember, even though he is often put on display for his memory.

If you're struggling through the book, I say stick with it, it is worth it in the end.

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Review: The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr

The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Robyn and Sydney are similar in many ways. They are both successful in their careers. Robyn is a music teacher and Sydney is a lawyer. They both have boyfriends that are very attractive. They also both don't want to take the boyfriends home with them for the holidays. For Robyn, her family is tired of seeing her with artsy men who have no future. For Sydney, she is tired of her father monopolizing the holiday with shop talk. The holidays are supposed to be fun, not judgmental and hostile. So, even though they've just met, Sydney comes up with brilliant idea, swap boyfriends for the holiday. It's just a few days, what's the harm? When Robyn finds out Sydney is dating her childhood crush, will she be able to hold it together? And how will her family handle this? Is this swap really such a good idea?

Thank you to Meredith Schorr, NetGalley, and Henery Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First of all, I'm not sure this is something I would have ever been able to do. To trade boyfriends at all, but with someone I don't even know. I'm not sure it would work out for me. It's been a while since I've read a book quite like this. It was cute and quirky and I can easily see this being made into a movie.

Robyn's Story
For Robyn, whenever she brings home a guy who is good to her, she has fun with, and is artsy like her parents, they let her know that he is not the right guy for her. She needs a guy with a steady job someone with a 401K and a savings account. Robyn and her boyfriend Perry have been together for almost a year, and they have a lot of fun together. But is he really, "The One"?
Bringing home Will is going to shock the hell out of her family. He was her childhood crush and now he's pretending to be her boyfriend. Will she be able to keep up the farce over the few days they spend with her family or will the secret be revealed before it's even started?

Sydney's Story
Sydney has to bring home a date for Christmas. If not her parents will try to set her up with some hideous guy she would never be interested in, but would be good for business. And she doesn't want to bring home Will. Will is a lawyer just like Sydney, and like Sydney's father. If she brings him home, all her father will do the entire time is try to recruit him to their law firm, and Sydney doesn't want to subject him to that. She also likes keeping her personal life to herself.
When Sydney brings Perry to the family dinner, she is surprised at how well her family likes him. This was not how she had planned this to go. And then when Perry deviates from her script, it makes things even worse. Will they be able to make it through the holiday without killing each other.

This book was a funny, romantic read that had me routing for one character to the end. This is the first book I have read by Meredith Schorr, but it won't be my last. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Author Q&A--Three is my favorite number so I asked the author three questions:

Me:  Where is your favorite place to write?

Meredith: My favorite place to write is a coffee shop called The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.  There used to be one right next to my apartment building and I wrote four books there.  It closed last year and I'm currently "dating" other cafes to find the right fit.

Me: What is your favorite book of all time?
Meredith: Omg, I don't know how to choose! So many! In my genre, I'll go with Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Cruise, and The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins. Too hard to choose just one.

Me: Which character do you most identify with, Robyn or Sydney?
Meredith: I would say I'm not as sweet as Robyn and not as aggressive as Sydney.  I'm more sensitive to the feelings of others and less bold than Sydney, but I have my aggressive, bitchy moments more than Robyn.  A little of both.

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Review--A Spy Came Home by H.N. Wake

A Spy Came Home by H.N. Wake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mac Ambrose is a CIA officer.  She has recently revealed this information to her closest friends after being in the agency for 20 years.  She shares this information in an attempt to bring down a corrupt organization and its effect on the gun laws in America.  Using the skills she has learning in the Agency, and the connections of her friends, she sets out on a mission to bring down those involved.  She only has a few short weeks to accomplish her goal.

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through this book.  The first few chapters involve a lot of legalese that did not draw me into the story.  Talking about the different gun laws and how and when they went into effect.  Finally, after that small rut, it was smooth sailing and I had to keep going.  So if you find yourself in the same scenario, I encourage you to keep going.  It definitely gets better from there.

I totally enjoyed this book. It made the wheels in my head churn with the possibility of the corruption in our government.  This book explores what goes on behind closed door of lobbyists and other who are in a position to change the laws in this country.

This book takes you on a journey through the world as we learn more about Mac as a CIA officer and her personal life.  We travel through time as well which helps to learn why she is so determined to pull off this mission no matter the consequences.   The last few pages will leave you on the edge of your seat to find out what is going to happen.  I can't wait to see what is next for Mac Ambrose.

Also by H.N.Wake: Ghosts in Macau

**I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.**


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