Hello, June! Last month was so exciting: I got fully vaccinated, I started making some summer plans, and I still managed to get a lot of reading done through all the excitement. Read on for some reviews!

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

3.5 / 5 Stars

In this historical novel, a wealthy widower places an ad for a reliable wife to come live with him at his small Wisconsin town. The woman who answers it claims to be a simple and honest woman, but has some ulterior motives. But the widower has plans of his own, too.

I enjoyed the first half much more than the second. It was an intriguing premise and the mystery of everyone's motivations was solid enough to keep the pages turning. I liked the atmosphere of this town where everyone seems to go mad at some point. But once everything was revealed, it all became just so meaningless.

I disliked every character. All of them are miserable, hate themselves, and just don't care about what's happening to them. If the characters don't care, why should I? They all want things that make no sense: love people who don't love them back, want money but then don't do anything with it, or just straight up want to die. And of course the relentless sexual desires of all of them got old real quick and had me questioning the author's intent with this book (seemed a bit self indulgent).

I was so frustrated by the writing because for the most part I do think Goolrick is a skilled writer, crafting phrases and descriptions that are unique and memorable. But elsewhere, it all was so melodramatic. Multiple lengthy passages of "he wanted this, he wanted that" and dialogue that felt a bit stilted, plus the plot hurtling toward one end and then backtracking on itself as one character decides "never mind."

I do think this book had the potential to be great if only the characters weren't so frustrating.

The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko

3 / 5 Stars

A+ for the sheer magnitude of this research. If you want to know everything there is to know about human endeavors on the Grand Canyon, you will love this book. Unfortunately for me, it didn't grip me the way I hoped it would. I was expecting something more along the lines of The Boys in the Boat or Into Thin Air; you don't need to know practically anything about rowing or mountaineering respectively to enjoy those books, and I was hoping the same would be so for The Emerald Mile, but it really does seem like you should have a singular interest in the Grand Canyon or white water rafting to enjoy this. I was hoping it would zone in on more of a narrative, and it does eventually toward the end when we meet Kenton Grua, but it is a meandering way to get there. I think what makes this book different from other survival or human endeavor stories is that the river is really the main character, far more than the actual people. Don't get me wrong, it's a fascinating natural wonder the way it can control its own destiny and thwart man's attempts to harness it, but narrative-wise, it wasn't gripping.

Girl in the Walls by A. J. Gnuse

3 / 5 Stars

A coming-of-age novel about an orphan hiding within the walls of her former family home.

This is definitely a unique story, a strange and mythical kind of tale. I have to say the first 100 pages were a bit slow as nothing much happens, but once things finally pick up the story get good. Aside from the suspenseful pace in the back half of the book, I also loved the themes of grief and memory that are at the heart of this book.

Take More Vacations by Scott Keyes

5 / 5 Stars

If you're a cheap flight aficionado, read this. The most important takeaway is to be flexible with when and where you want to travel. If you sat down and wrote a list of all the places you want to visit in your life, that list is probably pretty long. But when we sit down to plan a trip, we pick the time (usually summer) and the place, then start looking for flights and are shocked when the prices are sky high.

The better way to do it is to browse a flight search engine, (use Google Flights "explore" feature) see what deals are happening, and decide if it's one you want to take. That's how you'll find cheap flights.

This book is not only full of practical tips (how to search better) but also a brief history and fascinating explanation of airline ticket pricing. Flight prices are often illogical (not based on distance) and fluctuate by hundreds of dollars on any given day. That's why, if you're looking to score a cheap flight, you basically have to check constantly, like your nightly browsing on Zillow.

The other important takeaway from this book is that we are in the golden age of cheap flights, so deals are definitely out there if you know how to look.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

4 / 5 Stars

At the time of his death, Hawking was working on a final project: a book compiling his answers to the "big" questions that he was so often posed--questions that ranged beyond his academic field.

Within these pages, he provides his personal views on our biggest challenges as a human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next.

In this book, Stephen Hawking set out to explain these large theories of black holes, time travel, AI, etc in a way that was straightforward enough for the masses, and he accomplished it. I don't have a science background, but I was able to follow along thanks to his writing style and wit. While I may still not fully understand the ins and outs of time travel and black holes and whatever quantum physics that started the big bang, I definitely came away with more knowledge on these topics than I did before.

But I think my biggest takeaway is the sense of positivity and hope that Hawking has in science and our existence. Personally I'm quite pessimistic, growing more and more despaired the more I learn how the world actually works (or doesn't work); so it was a welcome surprise that someone as intelligent as Stephen Hawking still managed to be hopeful and look at life as a miracle. In a sense, he disproved the axiom that ignorance is bliss. Even as he makes a compelling case that there is no role for a God to play among the hard and fast laws of nature, he still finds wonder in the fact that we exist at all, and that I thought was profound.

Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng

4 / 5 Stars

A lyrical novel set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution that follows a father’s quest to reunite his family before his precocious daughter’s momentous birthday.

This was lovely; can't believe it's a debut! The writing is lyrical, poignant, and quietly spectacular. The story started a little slow, and due to the nature of the characters all being far-flung, I had a little trouble making sense of how it was all connected. We would go a long time without seeing one character's life, so it was tough to keep track of where we left off with them. But as things all tied together, the heart of the story came out and I ultimately came away extremely touched by the characters and the writing.

Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta

5 / 5 Stars

Solid advice for aging your brain gracefully. Nothing gimmicky, and nothing that should really surprise you. The five pillars to keeping sharp are: Move, Discover, Nourish, Rest, and Socialize. In other words, exercise (both cardio and weights), challenge your brain by learning new things (travel, learn a new language or instrument, even brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand), eat right (basically eat berries and leafy greens every day and keep sugar, white flour, red meat and processed foods to the bare minimum), get a healthy 7-8 hours of sleep, and keep up with your friends and family.

The writing and tone is encouraging rather than scary, and the advice is bolstered by a lot of background explanation as to how these pillars affect your brain. There is also practical advice at the end for caregivers and people with a dementia diagnosis.

But the biggest takeaway of this book is that while dementia usually doesn't get diagnosed until old age, the habits we make as early as our 30s will have an effect on delaying or possibly even preventing the disease. So it's never too late to get your brain right.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

4 / 5 Stars

Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be. And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband. Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.

I had a tough time gathering my thoughts after this sci-fi mystery. Overall I enjoyed the storytelling. It was riveting and kept my interest the whole time. Loved the premise, and the characters were solid. But… I guess I was missing some “heart” that I usually find in all the books I love. Maybe it is also because sci-fi isn’t my usual genre, but I just came away a bit meh.

The Third Grave by Lisa Jackson

3 / 5 Stars

The old Beaumont mansion is a rotting shell of its once-grand self, especially after a disastrous hurricane sweeps through Georgia. The storm does more than dislodge shutters and shingles. It leads to a grisly find in the cellar. Three graves. But only two skeletons…

I liked the premise (2 bodies found, but 3 graves? What's the empty one for?) but really didn't like the main character, Nikki. She was annoying and reckless, and totally aware of that, but it was tough to follow her for a whole book.

I didn't love the writing either, since almost every page has a list of questions that the character is wondering about. It's ok to have a few sprinkled in, but they were constant. It kind of felt like the author was doing a lot of hand holding, like telling me what I should be wondering about too.

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

5 /5 Stars

In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization.

An incredible true story! If you are a fan of adventure/survivalist tales, this is a classic. The writing is gripping, not dry at all, and not hero-worshipping. Shackleton is portrayed as a complex human, and we get to see a lot of the crew's personalities as well. The pace keeps up all the way through, and it's the everyday details like the tragedy of spilled dry milk and leaving your Burberry jacket behind that made this book come alive.