The Week in Review: 01.18.2019

Between the Covers

Finished last week:

I’m a big fan of National Geographic Kids books and if you pick up FOOD FIGHT: A MOUTHWATERING HISTORY OF WHO ATE WHAT AND WHY THROUGH THE AGES by Tanya Steel you’ll see why.  This fabulous book is divided by time periods, starting with The Prehistoric Era and ending with Future World.  Readers learn a little bit about the period’s history before learning what people ate.  Menus, tools, table manners, etc. are included as well as 30 fun, kid-friendly recipes.  Each chapter ends with a “Popcorny” Quiz to reinforce learning.  There are safety tips at the beginning of the book and a food timeline and recipe index in the back.  It’s printed on high quality paper and is chock full of beautiful, full-color illustrations and drawings so it has a lot of eye appeal.  I loved this book and think young readers will pick it up over and over again.  (Review copy provided by Media Masters Publicity.)

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VACUUM IN THE DARK by Jen Beagin is the story of Mona, a cleaning woman who lives in Taos, New Mexico.  She moved to Taos to get away from a bad boyfriend and is in a relationship with someone who may be just as bad, and he’s one of her clients.  She’s involved with other clients as well and does some questionable things when she’s in their homes.

As I read this book, I lost patience with Mona and wondered why she kept making such poor decisions.  I found the book to be a little gritty and odd and always felt like I was missing something.  The writing was fine but I think I’m not hip enough or young enough to really “get” this book.  Early reviews are good, so give it a try if it interests you.  (Review copy provided by Scribner.)

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Hana grew up in a small town outside of Berlin, Germany.  World War II ended when she was a teenager and when Germany was divided her town ended up in the east, under Soviet control.  Hana decided she wanted to be free and escaped to the west, having minimal contact with her family until Germany was reunited forty years later.  Her daughter, Nina Willner shares the family’s history and the history of Germany in her book, FORTY AUTUMNS: A FAMILY’S STORY OF COURAGE AND SURVIVAL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BERLIN WALL.

It’s obvious this well researched book was a labor of love and I liked it a great deal.  I knew the basic facts about the division of Germany and learned a lot more as I read this book.  As interesting as that was, for me, the most interesting part of this book was the story of this strong, determined family.  They remained close, always remembered their sister in the west, and never gave up hope.  If you enjoy memoirs or history, you won’t want to miss this terrific book.  (My friend Julie sent me this book.)

Currently reading:

• MAID by Stephanie Land
• MY ABSOLUTE DARLING by Gabriel Talent
• TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET by Karen McManus

On the Screen

We went with friends to see The Mule this week.  It’s based on a true story about an older man who is a mule for a drug cartel.  88 year old Clint Eastwood directed and stars in the movie and we all thought he did a great job.  The movie is entertaining, even funny at times, but ultimately sad.  Still, we all enjoyed it and thought it was worth seeing in the theater.

Off the blog

• We walked at least three miles every morning and I averaged almost 16,750 Fitbit steps a day.

What’s going on in your corner of the world?