Blogs

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Review by Jules Galgan.

Sometimes you read a book and you think to yourself, “Oh my goodness. Someone sat down and created this absolute masterpiece with nothing but their mind and their research.” Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is that someone and that book is Chain Gang All Stars. This book was stellar. The story kicks off in a dystopian America in which inmates in the prison system can opt out of their sentence and instead fight other inmates to the death. These fights are put out as entertainment for all and advertised as the newest sport. If the allstars survive their matches for three years, they then earn their freedom. 

Chain Gang All Stars is the perfect bridge between the reality of the prison system in the United States today and a far off dystopian world in which animosity is turned into entertainment for the masses. This made the message all the more powerful as it was both a warning and prophecy. Adjei-Brenyah uses footnotes to cite the sources for real world examples of people who experience the very same things these fictional characters experience, things like solitary confinement and the effects it has on people’s minds, forced labor for next to no pay, forced labor conditions that are dangerous, etc. all with an emphasis on how the prison system disproportionately affects and targets people of color. 

Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Review by Elisabeth Martin Rogers

The Alloy of Law is said by Brandon Sanderson to be an accident, but you would not think so upon reading it. He sought a half step between his more epic novels and this thrilling mystery style novel is a lovely intermission. It beautifully intertwines with the world he has created in what he calls “The Cosmere”. For fans of Sanderson, his intricate world building and how he incorporates powers is the main draw. The Way of Kings and Mistborn, are a part of his Cosmere. This carries on in the new Wax and Wayne series that Alloy of Law kicks off. His popular trilogy, Mistborn becomes the lore for Wax and Wayne because they exist millions of years after Mistborn concludes. You do not need to read Sanderson’s other books to read this one, but I recommend going back to read the “lore” in Mistborn if you have not already.

The fantastical aspects of Sanderson’s writings presents itself as a modernized way of allomancy - which is how characters draw on metals' natural power to give them unique abilities. We get a taste of futuristic use of metals while keeping that nostalgic “lawkeeper in a lawless land” feel.

Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis

Review by J.T. Menard

Michael Lewis has a knack for making highly complex topics simple enough for the non-expert. He demystified sabermetrics in Moneyball and got me to at least feel like I understood subprime mortgages in The Big Short.

The latest inscrutable topic Lewis approaches in his new book, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon, is the world of cryptocurrency. Specifically, he covers the explosive rise, and fall, of cryptocurrency king Sam Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried was the head of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange that failed spectacularly in November 2022. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven counts of wire fraud and conspiracy in November 2023.

Lewis had been embedded with Bankman-Fried for months when FTX imploded. It is evident that Lewis’ original conception for the book was to paint Bankman-Fried as a financial maverick and super-genius challenging and remolding the world of finance. The revelation that FTX’s success was based upon fraud and deceit forced Lewis to change this narrative, and you can see it in the abrupt tonal shift in the back half of the book.

While Going Infinite is certainly an interesting book, it is not one that will age well. It was released too early, in October 2023, just before the start of Bankman-Fried’s trial, where the extent of the fraud was laid bare by the Department of Justice. Why Lewis did not wait until after the trial to revise and release the book baffled me. Going Infinite essentially went out of date only a month after its release.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Review by Irene Pearcey

Coronado Island, California May 1966

On a beautiful and peaceful California evening as family and friends said farewell to Finn McGrath, his sister Frances found herself alone in her father's study staring at the "heros" wall. A wall filled with the memorabilia of her family. "Men in uniforms, women in wedding dresses, medals for valor and injury, a triangle-folded and framed American flag that had been given to her paternal grandmother." Frances (Frankie) wanted to be a part of that wall, but while the path to honor was laid out for men, it was not so clearly defined for women.

Finn was leaving for Vietnam, to a war that raged thousands of miles from the peaceful golden sands of California beaches and Frances was finishing her nursing degree.

Frankie wrote to her brother every Sunday for six months and then one quiet November evening the doorbell rang and "two Naval officers in dress uniforms stood there at attention".

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris

Review by Sue Domis

The author Dave Eggers has written popular adult novels such as The Every, The Circle and A Hologram for The King. He is also the author of young readers' fiction such as Her Right Foot, and The Lifters. Dave Eggers is also the founder of the popular publication McSweeney's. His newest children's work is the book The Eyes & the impossible. This is an exciting read for readers ages 8 and up. The animals in his latest book are very bright, funny and engaging. People of all ages who appreciate good animal fiction will enjoy this read. Besides beautiful writing, the book is enhanced with classical landscape paintings with the main character, Johannes, added to each painting. Shawn Harris is the artist who added Johannes to the paintings.

The Eyes & the Impossible is not meant to be an allegory. In Eggers forward to the book, he writes that the book is fiction. "No places are real places, no animals are real animals." And that "no animals symbolize people. Here dogs are dogs, birds are birds, goats are goats, and the Bison Bison."

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Review by Cheyanne Stice

In the memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy grants us a view into her life. I admit, the biggest reason I picked up this book is because I knew Jennette from the Nickelodeon kid’s show iCarly when she played Sam Puckett. A lot of people have thoughts and ideas of what someone might be like outside of television. But little did I know that there are a lot of secrets to Jennette McCurdy’s life. She is more strong, brave, and compassionate than I ever imagined. And she had to be in order to survive what she did.

It was interesting and effective how throughout her book, she writes in the perspective of her younger self. For all the time that had passed, she did an excellent job recollecting and explaining her memories of her feelings and thoughts as a young child that a reader can make sense of.

She took on a full load of emotional and mental responsibilities as a young child. The parent is supposed to take care of the child. But Jennette based her life on taking care of her mother up until the day she passed away. She took on the responsibility of keeping her mother as content as possible. Though, keeping a manipulative and controlling person content was probably more challenging than she expected. She didn’t get to experience a normal childhood like making friends or going to birthday parties. Instead she spent her life working to achieve her mother’s dream, becoming an actress. She dedicates her time to auditions and classes, anything to get her more roles on TV and make her mother happy.

The Joy of Winter Hiking by Derek Dellinger

Review by Rachel Fowler

Winter is usually a dark and dreary time of the year, especially after the holidays.

Getting outside is usually something to be dreaded, but that is what author Derek Dellinger wants to change. His new book, The Joy of Winer Hiking: Inspiration and Guidance for Cold Weather Adventures, aims to do just that — make winter a time to look forward to and not just get through.

I love hiking and camping during all the other seasons of the year and have always been disappointed that it mostly stops for winter. I don’t know why I didn’t think of winter hiking as a viable option before now, but I’m glad Dellinger did and has a book of useful advice for getting started.

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

Review by Jules Gargan

In Bellies, an inspiring coming-of-age story by Nicola Dinan, Tom and Ming come face to face with the people they are becoming and the circumstances that shape their lives. As they grow as a couple and as individuals, they must look inward and ask themselves heartbreaking questions as their lives begin to lead them down vastly different paths: Is it possible to compromise who you are to save your relationship? And is it worth it?

Bellies is the type of story that continues to live in your heart long after you finish reading. It is full of both love and loss, inspiring tears of joy and sadness as the story unfolds. You can’t help but feel the aching pangs of loneliness, growth, and heartbreak that each character experiences. This book captured the very essence of what it feels like to shed the person society expects you to be in order to become who you truly are.

Dinan pulls us along on the journey of discovering queerness, young love, gender identity, and friendship. It is an ode to all those who are feeling lost in their twenties as well as an analysis of the struggles people face in areas of relationship, friendship, and culture.

My Name is LaMoosh by Linda Meanus

Review by Luanne Clark

I always get each member of my family a book for Christmas and I often find the perfect gift in the Holiday Catalog from Inklings. This year was no exception. My Name is LaMoosh was a perfect fit for my dad. He was raised in the 1940s in Klickitat, a little town about 30 miles west of Goldendale. One of the stories he’s fond of retelling is about going to The Dalles for appointments and entertainment, and about the adventure of taking the small car ferry from Dallesport to The Dalles, across the Columbia River, before the bridge was built in 1953. He watched the Indigenous People fish from the scaffolds at Celilo Falls before the area was inundated by The Dalles Dam and has collected photos and artwork of the area throughout his life. 

My Name is LaMoosh was a hit with my 88 year old father. In fact, several times during the festivities he had to be reminded to set the book aside— it was his turn to open another gift! My Name is LaMoosh is a fascinating, simple book written by an elder of the Warm Springs Tribe who grew up at Celilo Falls. The reading level is middle grades but can be enjoyed by everyone. It’s full of photographs of the area and the residents of Celilo Village. The book includes fact boxes that provide historical, cultural, and environmental context for Linda’s  personal story, along with a thought provoking set of discussion questions for a readers group. And all of this information is filtered through a living connection to the land and river that formsthe foundation of her culture.    

After the Forest by Kell Woods

Review by Anne Zastrow

1650, the Black Forest, Wurttemberg. Do those sound familiar? If you are a fan of fairy tales and legends, they might. How about Hansel and Gretel?

After the Forest by Kell Woods is an imaginative story of what happened to Hansel and Gretel (here Greta and Hans) 15 years after the gingerbread house and their encounter with the forest witch.

Their parents and stepmother are dead, Hans has too many gambling debts, and Greta's only way to keep them afloat is a secret book, "The Witch's Grimoire," which she stole on her way out of the gingerbread house.

The book speaks to her, and the gingerbread recipe is addictive. Keeping the villagers going back for more is the only way for her to make money. After everything that has happened though, witches are not seen kindly and if anyone were to find out she has magic, that could mean her death. Is "The Witch's Grimoire" good like her or bad like the witch that it first belonged to? Why is it helping her? And is it helping her?

Pages