Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Just wow. Lita Judge spent a summer reading the handwritten journals of Mary Shelley and then spent 5 years writing this story. It is told in free verse with over 300 pages of black & white watercolor illustrations.

To quote Tui T. Sutherland (author of the Wings of Fire series) "What an intensely, darkly beautiful book." Another reviewer said "extraordinary in both art and language." I wholeheartedly agree. Another reviewer: "...gripping text and heartbreaking images, the story unfolds like a gothic fairy tale--crackling with rage, riven with pain, and pulsating with ferocious beauty."

Some of the wonderful information Judge included: Mary Shelley was a pregnant teenage runaway when she wrote Frankenstein. She created the first industrial-age science fiction novel as well as the first "mad scientist," a character archetype utilized in many modern stories. The ideas in Frankenstein grew from lectures Mary attended; extensive reading; discussions with Shelley, Byron, and Polidori; and her knowledge of grisly experiments performed on the bodies of executed convicts from Newgate Prison.

In an era of heated debate about humanity's relationship to nature and God, Mary's Creature was also conceived as a warning to those who assume too much power over nature. Her call for caution still holds surprising relevance today, with ethical debates swirling around genetically modified crops, recombinant DNA technology, cloning, cloud seeding, and genetic screening of human fetuses.

The novel also challenged the idea that men alone, without women, could create life, overruling the laws of nature. She depicted her Creature as motherless, like herself.

With her writing and her life, Mary defied the restrictions put on women, and for two hundred years her Creature has lived on to inspire new stories, films, plays, and artwork, as well as ethical debates about science's role in humans' lives. It is a testament to the teenage Mary Shelley's strength and enduring genius.

Read this book!


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Revival by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this because I am a huge fan of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and this book has been called the modern Frankenstein. It has all the classic King elements: a small town in Maine, the supernatural, and human obsession. It is a dark and electrifying look at addiction, religion, music, and what might exist on the other side of life. The story follows Jamie Morton and Charles Jacobs. Jamie is six when he first meets Charles when he becomes the new minister at his church. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family Charles goes off the deep end and denounces his belief in God and is forced to leave town. They encounter one another many years later and this encounter leaves Jamie indebted and connected. They do come back together one last time at the end of Charles Jacobs' life in a mind bending stretch of reality that is classic King.


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Burn by Patrick Ness
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love dragons, so I look for any excuse to read about them. I read Eoin Colfer's book "Highfire," and when I heard about this one by Ness I was primed to read it. His book "A Monster Calls," is one of my all time favorites. The setting is 1950s America against the backdrop of the cold war. Dragons exist and an uneasy truce has been in place for hundreds of years. Sixteen year old Sarah has lost her mother and her father hires a dragon to clear some fields to keep their farm going. Her parents were in a mixed marriage and she's in love with a local Japanese boy. From there the plot gets more complex with end of the world prophecies, young assassins and cults that worship dragons. Ness is very good juggling all this. Romance and relationships make a nice juxtaposition to the action involved.


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Eli the Good by Silas House
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is no secret that I'm a big Silas House fan. I find his writing beautiful, lyrical, and enjoyable. This young adult offering was no different. Set in the summer of 1976, when America is celebrating its 200th birthday, the fireworks are a nice allegory for what's going on in Eli's house. His father is wrestling with demons from the Vietnam war, his beautiful mother and headstrong sister are fighting battles of their own every day, and his wandering activist aunt has come home for reasons of her own that become clear as the story progresses. The sense of time and place is so strong in this book and others by this author. And music takes a special place in it as well. The lessons contained in the story concerning friendship, hope, love are timeless and well told. A wonderful read.


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The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Gilbert has said this book is "a thoughtful, beautiful multigenerational novel about love, God, jealousy, and friendship." In the 1960s, copastors at a New York City church work and clash. Charles is a blueblood and a firm believer. Yet he is married to Lily, who is a fierce atheist. James, the youngest son of a hardscrabble Chicago family, wants to right the world's wrongs from the pulpit. His wife Nan, however, is comfortable with church traditions. We follow these two couples through decades of love and friendship, jealousy and understanding, commitment and forgiveness against the backdrop of turbulent changes in their city and congregation. A meditation on reason and faith, as well as the ways we find meaning in our lives. This amazing debut should spark many meaningful conversations and be an excellent book club selection. I thought it was a wonderful book. Thoughtful. Beautifully written. Literary fiction at its finest. Its exploration of faith, marriage, and love against a changing social backdrop...wow. A nice read at any time, but especially in these days of virus, lockdown, and social upheaval.


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Untamed by Glennon Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Doyle is the woman that People magazine calls the “patron saint of female empowerment.” Reese Witherspoon has said that this book is packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today. There is even a review from Brene Brown that says with this book Doyle shakes you by the shoulders and steals your heart at the exact same time. With that kind of PR, I’m sure people will be reading and talking about this one for a while. Although I would not necessarily have arrived at the same conclusions/destinations that she arrives at, I could certainly relate to the emotional part of her story. She is a good storyteller and completely honest with an inner strength that underpins her narrative. She certainly managed to extricate herself from circumstances that might have greatly damaged another person struggling with those same issues, so she has some wisdom to impart about what she has learned along the way. The group that she is founder and president of, Together Rising, is an all-women led nonprofit organization that has revolutionized grassroots philanthropy—raising over $25 million for women, families, and children in crisis. In the process of presenting her beliefs, she negates others (and some of those might be yours)--so keep in mind this is her story. But telling stories is important and sharing experiences is an effective way to inspire and learn.


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Notes from an Apocalypse: A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back by Mark O'Connell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The World Health Organization on March 12, 2020 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Pandemics are generally classified as epidemics first (rapid spread of a disease across a particular region). Epidemics don’t always become pandemics, but most virus pandemics have been caused by influenza (flu) viruses. Living through a global pandemic can be an uncertain time for many people. Lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing certainly have everybody on edge. This book is a frightening, yet tender-hearted and funny read. It is a deeply felt book about dealing with our anxious present times and trying to come to grips with the future. How do you live in the shadow that looms? What about having children (the ultimate act of hope)? What might it be like to live through the worst? And what is anybody doing about it? O’Connell is a Dublin-based writer and father of two who crosses the globe in pursuit of answers. He tours survival bunkers in South Dakota, engages with would-be Mars colonists, preppers, etc. Though the book is investigative, it is deeply personal--with shifting insights, humanity, and wit. The fact that he finds hope and inspiration at the end of this journey might be a good lesson for all of us. Brilliant, poignant, exceptional, a stunner of a book and very thought provoking. I loved the juxtaposition of humor and the really serious, sometimes terrifying, thoughts and scenarios he described. His references to other books and people along the way kept sending me to the computer to look them up and read more about the places and situations described.


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The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a young woman learns her parents' killer has been released from jail, she is forced to revisit old wounds while discovering the destructive power of hate and the true cost of family secrets fully revealing themselves. I liked how the author just jumped right into the story, setting up the framework for her story within the first few pages. It has all the major themes: murder, mystery, family, love. I liked the complex characters tied to history and a setting. And she manages to keep you guessing till the end. A film has been made from this book too. I found it an enjoyable read.


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Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like the books I've read by this author as they don't have a conventional narrative grounded in plot but are a collection of observations and brief scenes (sort of stream of consciousness). The couple in this book are referred to as husband and wife--no names are mentioned. I found it absorbing with sly wisdom and I loved the glimpses into how a couple navigate within their framework as a couple and in the world at large. And its funny. Both books I've read by this author are funny. Funny is always a plus for me.


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Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fast paced and engrossing tale of suspense that is about obsession, reconciliation, and revenge. This debut novel adds a twist to the collection of books on Munchausen syndrome by proxy (a psychological disorder marked by attention-seeking behavior by a caregiver through those who are in their care). Rose Gold Watts was never sick, but her mother, Patty, was. After discovering that her mother had spent the better part of two decades poisoning and starving her, the then teenage Rose Gold testified in the trial that sent Patty to prison for aggravated child abuse. Five years later, with the support of her hometown, Rose Gold purchased the house where her mother grew up and began renovating it to create a safe place to raise her infant son, Adam. When she reconciles with the newly released Patty and offers her a place to stay, everyone in her community is left reeling. The book alternates between the two women as first-person narrators in the past and present. A real page turner that keeps you guessing till the end, with complex characters who seem sympathetic at some points and unsympathetic in others.


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The Vegetarian by Han Kang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Vegetarian tells the story of Yeong-hye, a home-maker who, one day, suddenly decides to stop eating meat after a series of dreams involving images of animal slaughter. This abstention leads her to become distanced from her family and from society. The story is told in three parts: "The Vegetarian", "Mongolian Mark", and "Flaming Trees". The first section is narrated by Yeong-hye's husband Mr. Cheong in the first person. The second section is narrated in third person focusing on Yeong-hye's brother-in-law, and the third section remains in third-person but focuses on her sister, In-hye, while sporadically speaking in the present tense. This was a strange, sad, and quirky read. Tender, brutal, poetic, upsetting. All those emotions come through loud and clear.


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Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Such an interesting book. I was amazed at all the things that happened to her as she was growing up and the unflinching honesty she used in her descriptions of events and family. I have "Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness" currently and I will certainly follow it up with "Leaving Before the Rains Come." Fascinating woman, incredible life.


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To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this memoir and travelogue with interest, because Jedidiah's father's book "A Walk Across America," was a favorite read of mine from years ago. I found it brutally honest but not quite as rustic as I had initially envisioned. There were a lot of buses, boats, taxis, cell phones, social media and encroachment of the modern world involved. Still quite an adventure though and definitely not something most people would even attempt even with those modern elements. His traveling companion was an interesting character and their personalities were so different from one another. I did find it thought provoking and enjoyable.


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Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read by this author. I don't read a lot of crime fiction, but what was interesting about this was the literary writing style. I also liked the character of Jackson Brodie (who has been called a Mr. Rochester for the modern age). Blunt and direct in his opinions, emotionally guarded, personally troubled, but with a loving heart and a passion to right wrongs. He has trouble with women (he loves them, but they baffle him), and yet he's very macho. I'm sure I would enjoy reading more of the series.


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A Saint on Death Row: The Story of Dominique Green by Thomas Cahill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love Thomas Cahill's Hinges of History series. When a friend pointed this book out to me, I thought I would give it a try. It was an interesting read. As Cahill says, “There are no mental health services offered to Death Row inmates. For whatever healing is done they themselves must be the healers.” And Green certainly managed to turn the tragic trajectory of his life into a cautionary tale for the rest of us. Desmond Tutu's teaching on reconciliation and forgiveness and the mention of the African Prayer Book was very inspiring. A very thought provoking read.


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Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been called a Charlotte's Web for grown-ups and recommended as one to read if you liked Where the Crawdads Sing. It is also magical realism, which is another one of my favorite types of reads. I thought it was mystical and had a lot of heart. Light and whimsical, I found it a charming debut.


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Brother & Sister by Diane Keaton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An unflinchingly honest examination of the sibling bond...one who doesn't fit in nor follow the path that the rest of us take...and one trying to understand family ties of love and responsibility. Heartbreaking and wise.


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Weather by Jenny Offill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not your conventional narrative or plot driven read, but nonetheless I loved it. List makers are already putting it on their best of 2020 list and we just moved into March. Her writing is brisk, speculative, comic, and yet hopeful.


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