My Sister: How One Sibling’s Transition Changed Us Both by Selenis Leyva, Marizol Leyva


My Sister: How One Sibling’s Transition Changed Us Both by Selenis Leyva, Marizol Leyva
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

A powerful memoir by two sisters about transitioning, family, and the path to self-realization.

When Orange Is the New Black and Diary of a Future President star Selenis Leyva was young, her hardworking parents brought a new foster child into their warm, loving family in the Bronx. Selenis was immediately smitten; she doted on the baby, who in turn looked up to Selenis and followed her everywhere. The little boy became part of the family. But later, the siblings realized that the child was struggling with their identity. As Marizol transitioned and fought to define herself, Selenis and the family wanted to help, but didn’t always have the language to describe what Marizol was going through or the knowledge to help her thrive.

In My Sister, Selenis and Marizol narrate, in alternating chapters, their shared journey, challenges, and triumphs. They write honestly about the issues of violence, abuse, and discrimination that transgender people and women of color–and especially trans women of color–experience daily. And they are open about the messiness and confusion of fully realizing oneself and being properly affirmed by others, even those who love you.
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Profoundly moving and instructive, My Sister offers insight into the lives of two siblings learning to be their authentic selves. Ultimately, theirs is a story of hope, one that will resonate with and affirm those in the process of transitioning, watching a loved one transition, and anyone taking control of their gender or sexual identities.

Touching, riveting and worth the read.

I knew this would be a gut-wrenching book when I picked it up. I can’t imagine being in Marizol’s position–having your body one way, but feeling another inside. Reading about her transition, the bullying, the fear, confusion…I wanted to hug her. I loved that Selenis and the rest of the family gave her the love and respect she deserved on this journey. The parts concerning her birth parents was particularly hard. I can’t imagine what she went through at the hands of her father.

This book has been described as an open letter between sisters or a dialogue between them. It is. This isn’t all from Selenis’s point of view. Yes, she tells of how she felt as Marizol transitioned, but it’s more about Marizol. Truly.

This book shows how one can accept themselves, how their family can accept them and how it’s okay to be authentic. You have to be yourself.

If you’re interested in reading about Marizol’s journey, then check this book out.

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel


The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

As America’s Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.

Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; JFK made it clear that platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was his favorite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived with a secret that needed to stay hidden from NASA. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, providing one another with support and friendship, coffee and cocktails.
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As their celebrity rose-and as divorce and tragedy began to touch their lives-the wives continued to rally together, forming bonds that would withstand the test of time, and they have stayed friends for over half a century. THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB tells the story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.

You’ve heard about the astronauts, but have you heard about the wives?

For these women, being a wife wasn’t the half of it. It wasn’t the hardest part, either. I’ve read the books about the astronauts. There’s an immeasurable amount of testosterone going on there. What else would one expect? They’re test pilots. But the wives. Now there’s something interesting that I hadn’t learned. The writing is crisp, but can be choppy at times, but the story is good.

Each woman is different and had her own set of challenges. If you don’t know the women, this is a great way to get to know them. I knew almost nothing about Michael Collins’ wife, nearly nothing about Louise Sheppard, Joan Aldrin…The only reason I remember Annie Glenn having a stutter was that John Glenn was our state senator forever and I remember seeing her on television. I respected each of the wives more and liked how they banded together. Marge Slayton become the mother of the group. Everyone rallied around the See, Basset, Chaffee, White and Grissom families. It’s touching, heartbreaking and interesting.

If you want a book about the unsung heroes behind the astronauts, then this is the one for you to check out. Read it.

The History of China in 50 Events by Henry Freeman


The History of China in 50 Events by Henry Freeman
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

☆ Chinese History in 50 Events ☆
As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China has a vast, rich history. In order to assist with the study of Chinese history, this book has been broken down into a series of straightforward, easy-to-read vignettes.

Inside you will read about…
✓ The Great Flood
✓ The Great Wall is begun
✓ The Terra Cotta Army is created
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This book will provide in-depth insights into some of the most important events in Chinese history while providing an overall context within which these events took place. Designed as an introductory overview of Chinese history, this book is the perfect resource for those who are seeking to expand their knowledge of China and world history.

History lovers will likely appreciate this quick, accessible book about the history of China. Within these pages, readers become enlightened about China, dating back thousands of years. The good part is that this information is compact and straight to the point. You get to the core of the matter.

The topics discussed are chosen for their relevance and familiarity, but even if readers have heard about certain of these subjects, they are sure to learn more interesting aspects about them. Some of the topics brought up are: The Great Wall of China, Confucius, The Terra Cotta Army, the invention of paper, important dynasties, when the Romans first reached China, and many other good themes.

This book is short and an easy read. It is definitely worth the time to advance one’s knowledge in world history. The writing is engaging, not a dry history book, and readers can get through it quickly then feel like they’re taking away something good from the experience.

June Book of the Month Poll ~ Binding Circumstance by Kelley Griffin


Binding Circumstance by Kelley Griffin
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense/Mystery
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Alstroemeria

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

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Costume designer, Leslie Carroll has mastered the art of flying under the radar. She’s had to, or risk being found by the psychopath who almost killed her.

When she literally falls into Hollywood heartthrob Charlie Erickson’s dressing room on her first day of employment, their mutual attraction is instant and undeniable. Despite his star status, Charlie is a sweet southern boy at heart, and for the first time in a long time, Leslie begins to think she has a chance at happiness.

When her harrowing past catches up to her and targets Charlie, will she run to save herself, or face her monster to save the man who is her future?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

May Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Monty and the Monster by Rhonda Smiley


Monty and the Monster by Rhonda Smiley

Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (232 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe
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Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

When seventh grader Monty Hyde moves for the fourth time in two years, it’s the same old story. New neighborhood, new school, new bullies, no friends. With his dad working all the time and his older brother too popular to notice, he’s the lonely outcast yet again. That is until he finds a mysterious replication serum in his basement and decides to make a friend. From scratch.

But when his creation turns out to be a stinky, hairy eight-foot-tall monster that might be eating the neighborhood kids, Monty knows he must undo his experiment. Problem is, it’s the best friend he’s ever had.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

The Dog Diet, A Memoir by Patti Lawson


The Dog Diet, A Memoir by Patti Lawson
What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress and Getting a New Leash on Life
Publisher: HCI Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Self-Help
Length: Full Length (271 pgs)
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

We live in a diet-obsessed age, when we lose five pounds just to gain ten, delude ourselves that the next exercise contraption we buy from that midnight infomercial will finally take that extra inch off our thighs, and become convinced that the latest diet fad of beet soup and goat’s milk will help us look good in a bikini. But now you can forget the Zone, Atkins and South Beach! It turns out that the ultimate weight-loss plan is owning a dog: Man (and woman’s) best friend is the fail proof personal trainer-dietician-nutritionist you’ve been looking for you all your life.

That’s just what Patti Lawson found in her dog, Sadie.

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A life that began together with 3:00 a.m. walks through the park, incessant barking and stolen moments of trying to eat just a crumb of breakfast without puppy-interference soon morphed into a partnership of exercise and healthy eating with the added bonus that Sadie taught Patti a thing or two about letting go and stopping to smell the roses.

A memoir-cum-diet, The Dog Diet takes a tongue-in-cheek look at our obsession with weight loss and will have you laughing out loud as you recognize your own dysfunctional relationship with food. In the process you’ll learn a simple and natural method for shedding unwanted pounds without the usual stress and disappointments that go along with typical dieting regimens.

A dog, a diet and the drive.

I picked up this book because I wanted to read about someone’s journey with their dog. A journey to a better them. I’ll be honest, on the surface, this is a cute book. Girl has problems in life, girl thinks she’s at rock bottom, girl gets dog. Life looks up and she’s happy. The writing is paced well and I wanted to learn more about the author and Sadie, her dog.

But things went a tad off the rails for me. I totally understood the author’s hesitancy to get a dog. Some people aren’t dog people. There’s no crime in saying you’re not a pet person. The dog grew on her. Again, I get it. Sometimes you don’t know what you can do until you’re tasked to do it. Where this took some turns I wasn’t expecting and wasn’t a fan of involved how she crated the dog at night. It’s a personal thing. Some readers might not be bothered. I was. Then there was the diet aspect of the book. The lengths this author went to find quiet food so the dog wouldn’t know she was eating was a little odd. Dogs have keen hearing. I swear they know when you’re thinking about opening something to eat and show up. Some of her diet advice was interesting, too. Her advice involved, in a nutshell, moving around before you eat. Cool, but you have to go with the dog’s schedule–at least I do. The author wrote like these discoveries, like not getting your coffee until the dog has eaten and pottied, were revelations. Maybe I’ve had dogs for so long this was all second nature. I don’t know. I thought this would be more of a memoir and that was the part I liked the best.

I did like the book, though. I liked reading about her travels with Sadie, the author’s being slowly won over by the dog and how the author came to realize dogs are work, but they’re not nearly as bad as she thought. The author’s stories and way of writing were crisp, so check this book out. It might be just what you’re looking for.

McKenna’s Path by Kasey Riley


McKenna’s Path by Kasey Riley
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full length (176 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

Suzie McKenna has a desperate need to get away from her mom—and most importantly her mom’s creepy boyfriend. She comes up with the perfect way to escape, taking her beloved mustang mare, Gypsy, with her. She’ll ride to her father’s ranch. She has the knowledge, the maps, and the need; but does she have the ability?

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When Gypsy is found loose and injured, can searchers find Suzie before it’s too late?

Suzie’s divorced parents, Mike and Sherry McKenna, share a burning need to locate their wayward daughter. Can they stand each other’s company long enough to get the job done? Ride with them as they answer this question and maybe even discover what tore their marriage apart.

What if your only path to safety was to undertake a perilous journey alone? From early on, this story makes it clear that Suzie is a teenager who no longer feels her mother is listening, and those emotions come through so clearly in author Kasey Riley’s writing!

She really gets into Suzie’s head, showing the reader a look at the struggles and reasoning as she undertakes her journey, fleeing from her mom, to her father’s in fear of her mother’s boyfriend. I easily felt like I knew Suzie, like I was right there, cheering her on! I felt the author’s use of perspective, with the mother oblivious, Suzie a frightened teen, and the other characters falling somewhere in the side-lines, paired with the vast knowledge the author shows of equine behaviors, or horsemanship, this was both an highly entertaining and even educational read.

This story can likely be enjoyed by all ages, though it’s written for the YA group.  It’s both well written and easy to follow, making it easy to read quickly, and much harder to put down!

Reaching for the Moon by Katherine Johnson


Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography, YA
Length: Full Length (256 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11.

As a young girl, Katherine Johnson showed an exceptional aptitude for math. In school she quickly skipped ahead several grades and was soon studying complex equations with the support of a professor who saw great promise in her. But ability and opportunity did not always go hand in hand. As an African American and a girl growing up in an era of brutal racism and sexism, Katherine faced daily challenges. Still, she lived her life with her father’s words in mind: “You are no better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you.”
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In the early 1950s, Katherine was thrilled to join the organization that would become NASA. She worked on many of NASA’s biggest projects including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon.

Katherine Johnson’s story was made famous in the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. Now in Reaching for the Moon she tells her own story for the first time, in a lively autobiography that will inspire young readers everywhere.

This woman got to the moon without ever leaving the ground.

I’m fascinated by those who can do math. I don’t mean the 2+2 kind. I mean the kind that sorts out how to get a rocket off the ground, geometry, high level algebra… you know, the people who can get things to the moon and back. Katherine Johnson is a bit of an unsung hero. Sure, she’s the subject of the movie Hidden Figures, but there’s a lot more to this woman and the best place to learn about her is from the woman herself.

I didn’t realize right away that this was a YA book. It’s listed in the library as YA, but it reads more like a conversation. Katherine Johnson’s autobiography talks about many parts of her life and doesn’t pull punches. She mentions her first marriage and how Jimmy passed. How it was hard to be a woman in the computing industry and how hard her family fought to get her an education. I loved how she taught her brothers to read because she thought they were behind, but it was more that she was so far ahead!

If you’re looking for a book that’s delightful and reminds the reader what’s important in life–getting an education and being happy while doing your work because you’re doing what you love, then this is the book for you.

Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell


Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Recent Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (354 pgs)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Around the World in 50 Years is the inspiring story of an ordinary guy who achieved two great goals that others had told him were impossible. First, he set a record for the longest automobile journey ever made around the world, during which he blasted his way out of minefields, survived a serious accident atop the Peak of Death, came within seconds of being lynched, and lost three of the five men who started with him: two to disease, one to the Vietcong.

After that, Albert Podell set another record by going to every country on earth. He survived riots, revolutions, civil wars, trigger-happy child soldiers, voodoo priests, jihadists, robbers, corrupt cops, and Cape buffalo. He traveled through every kind of earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, volcanic eruption, snowstorm, and sandstorm that nature threw at him. He ate everything from old camel meat and African field rats to dung beetles and the brain of a live monkey. And he overcame encounters with crocodiles, hippos, anacondas, giant leeches, flying crabs―and several beautiful women who insisted that he stop this nonsense and marry them.
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Around the World in 50 Years is a remarkable and meaningful tale packed with some of the most memorable, frightening, and hilarious adventure stories you have ever read.

Has anyone been to every country on earth? Albert Podell has, and he wrote about it. He started his travels as a young man and finished them in his twilight years. He left the most dangerous and harrowing countries for last.

The subject matter alone is fascinating. Readers get glimpses of other countries and cultures through the eyes of an American traveler. Podell doesn’t describe all 196 countries here. He mainly goes into his wild adventures in the countries where he encountered real trouble, whether of the natural type—wild animals or extreme desert conditions in Africa—or the human type—dealing with wars and radical politics.

There are only a few pleasant experiences described within these pages, and the author’s words offer great insights into these other lands. One will appreciate getting a peek into how so many other people live. Podell is honest, and his interpretations are laced with humor. This book is not for kids though. There is adult content, telling readers how it really is.

Since it took him fifty years to do this, Podell sometimes updates readers on the situation in certain countries. He also had to backtrack at times because new countries were created or disappeared. One can often feel his stress and surprise as well as feel relieved for him when he barely escapes one life-threatening predicament after another.

This adventurous tale will very likely give readers in certain places a whole new appreciation of where they live. It will make them grateful for what they have and maybe even make them want to stay home. It’s an eye-opening experience going along with this author on his world-wide journeys, and I’m glad I read this book.

His Excellency George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis


His Excellency George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis
Publisher: Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc.
Genre: Non-Fiction, historical
Length: Full Length (275 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

To this landmark biography of our first president, Joseph J. Ellis brings the exacting scholarship, shrewd analysis, and lyric prose that have made him one of the premier historians of the Revolutionary era. Training his lens on a figure who sometimes seems as remote as his effigy on Mount Rushmore, Ellis assesses George Washington as a military and political leader and a man whose “statue-like solidity” concealed volcanic energies and emotions.

Here is the impetuous young officer whose miraculous survival in combat half-convinced him that he could not be killed. Here is the free-spending landowner whose debts to English merchants instilled him with a prickly resentment of imperial power. We see the general who lost more battles than he won and the reluctant president who tried to float above the partisan feuding of his cabinet. His Excellency is a magnificent work, indispensable to an understanding not only of its subject but also of the nation he brought into being.

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Author Joseph J. Ellis has written other important historical works and shows he has done his research. The information is presented in a way to make a reader trust what’s on the page. One is likely to find many intriguing points within that will inspire a longing to delve deeper and perhaps do more research.

Washington is presented as human, but Ellis makes it clear that the nation’s first president was widely regarded in somewhat mythical terms. Washington, after all, was the main guy in “the winning of independence and the invention of nationhood” (271). We learn how Washington became the man he needed to be to lead the Americans to victory and who helped him. Washington’s detractors are also discussed. This was interesting because it led to an exploration of his psyche and deepest motivations.

We are reminded of Washington’s challenges and glories as president and surprised at times by factors that aren’t as commonly known.

Even in retirement, Washington’s work was never done. At long last, when he was preparing for the end, he contemplated controversial and important issues, thinking of what posterity would think of him. He made decisions based on complicated reasons. As a bonus, readers get to see some of the other founders through his eyes.

This book is worth the read. I have a degree in history and would definitely read this author again, feeling not only engaged in the reading but also educated, believing the information was quite reliable.