Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

February 7, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Genre: Contemporary, Memoir, Non-Fiction
Length: Full Length (281 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

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Want to get real about death? Read this book.

I’ve read other books by Caitlin Doughty and enjoyed them quite a bit. I realize that sounds strange since this book, like her others, is about death. Most people think it’s morbid or yucky to consider death. It’s even yuckier to think about what happens to us when we die. This book treats the subject head-on and it’s rather refreshing.

This book isn’t all death, doom and gloom. There is a bit of introspection, a lot of details about her life and work at the crematorium, plus people and death. The author discusses how some people simply accept the death of loved ones, others write the loved ones off and still more can’t quite let go. The stories of the bodies coming in are somewhat gross. There are moments that made me cry, too, like with the babies. But this isn’t the story of the babies or the bodies. It’s how the author grows and changes through her work at the crematorium. From her insistent desire not to be cremated and how she’ll handle the death of her loved ones, to acceptance of the course of life.

It’s an eye-opening book, filled with anecdotes, love, trials and facts about death. If you’re interested, scared, or think this sounds like a good book, give it a try. It’s well worth the read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Rocket Girl by George D Morgan

February 6, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Rocket Girl by George D Morgan
The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America’s First Female Rocket Scientist
Publisher: Prometheus
Genre: Historical Biographical Fiction
Length: Full Length (336 pgs)
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

LIKE THE FEMALE SCIENTISTS PORTRAYED IN HIDDEN FIGURES, MARY SHERMAN MORGAN WAS ANOTHER UNSUNG HEROINE OF THE SPACE AGE-NOW HER STORY IS FINALLY TOLD.This is the extraordinary true story of America’s first female rocket scientist. Told by her son, it describes Mary Sherman Morgan’s crucial contribution to launching America’s first satellite and the author’s labyrinthine journey to uncover his mother’s lost legacy–one buried deep under a lifetime of secrets political, technological, and personal.In 1938, a young German rocket enthusiast named Wernher von Braun had dreams of building a rocket that could fly him to the moon. In Ray, North Dakota, a young farm girl named Mary Sherman was attending high school. In an age when girls rarely dreamed of a career in science, Mary wanted to be a chemist. A decade later the dreams of these two disparate individuals would coalesce in ways neither could have imagined.World War II and the Cold War space race with the Russians changed the fates of both von Braun and Mary Sherman Morgan. When von Braun and other top engineers could not find a solution to the repeated failures that plagued the nascent US rocket program, North American Aviation, where Sherman Morgan then worked, was given the challenge. Recognizing her talent for chemistry, company management turned the assignment over to young Mary.In the end, America succeeded in launching rockets into space, but only because of the joint efforts of the brilliant farm girl from North Dakota and the famous German scientist. While von Braun went on to become a high-profile figure in NASA’s manned space flight, Mary Sherman Morgan and her contributions fell into obscurity–until now.

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I’ve been on a kick to read as much as I can about the space program. I’m not sure why. I’m not going to become a rocket scientist (I can’t balance chemical equations) and I don’t like heights. That said, I do love reading about the women who helped create the space program and got it where it is today.

Mary Sherman Morgan is an interesting case. She did a lot to get herself to the point of working on the chemistry involved in rocketry. I liked Mary, despite the things she’d been through. Odd thing to say, don’t you think? If something bad could happen, it happened to Mary–a child born out of wedlock, having to get a job to pay her way through college, having to keep huge secrets because of her various jobs, then the unkindest cut of all: not getting credit for her work on the chemicals used to take rockets to space. No credit!

I have to say, though, this is her son’s retelling of her life. There is some creative license taken. He recalls conversations from when she was a child and going through school. He probably knew OF the conversations but I doubt he knew the exact wording as Mary was very hesitant to speak about her life. I guess that’s why I liked her so much. I had a grandfather who refused to talk about certain parts of his life and could be very particular when he did speak. He tended to keep to himself, like Mary and wanted things just so. Honestly, the author’s creative license with some of the incidents was what took away from the story. I wanted to know what Mary created and how she got to that point, but some of the side stories, while they helped know her better, seemed to be just that…side stories.

Still, this is an interesting book and it’s written with love. The author might have been a tad estranged from his mother at times, partially due to her choosing, but he loved her. Grab this book if you’re looking for something for a few afternoons and want to step into someone else’s life.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Moon Shot by Jay Barbree, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton

January 22, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Moon Shot
The Inside Story of America’s Apollo Moon Landings by Jay Barbree, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton
Publisher: Open Road Media
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Length: Full Length (396 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

A revised edition of the New York Times bestselling classic: the epic story of the golden years of American space exploration, told by the men who rode the rockets

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and the space race was born. Desperate to beat the Russians into space, NASA put together a crew of the nation’s most daring test pilots: the seven men who were to lead America to the moon. The first into space was Alan Shepard; the last was Deke Slayton, whose irregular heartbeat kept him grounded until 1975. They spent the 1960s at the forefront of NASA’s effort to conquer space, and Moon Shot is their inside account of what many call the twentieth century’s greatest feat—landing humans on another world.
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Collaborating with NBC’s veteran space reporter Jay Barbree, Shepard and Slayton narrate in gripping detail the story of America’s space exploration from the time of Shepard’s first flight until he and eleven others had walked on the moon.

The true story of the moon missions from the astronauts who made the trips.

I like reading books about the space missions and astronauts. When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I have to admit the stories are told from Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard’s point of view. They tell their versions of how things happened in NASA. I liked that I got to understand Alan Shepard better–he was a very complicated person. I also got to understand Deke Slayton better. I wasn’t around when these men went on their space missions, so they were just names to me. Having them talk about their missions and from their point of view was much more interesting. Deke had a heart issue and Alan had problems with being too highly strung (to explain it in simpler terms). I had no idea what they went through in order to get back to space or to get their in the first place.

I particularly enjoyed the way the authors talked about the early days of NASA and the space program. They were there and it shows in their retelling of the accounts.

This book is a bit dated, the ending is a little choppy, and some of the details aren’t totally correct, but the best part of this book is the original voices of Slayton and Shepard. They shine through each chapter.

If you want a new angle on NASA and the space program from the astronaut point of view, then pick up a copy of this book. Recommended.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972 by Douglas Brinkley and Luke Nichter

January 14, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Nixon Tapes:1971-1972 by Douglas Brinkley and Luke Nichter
Publisher: Mariner Books
Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics
Length: Full Length (797 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

These are the famous—and infamous—Nixon White House tapes that reveal for the first time President Richard Milhous Nixon uncensored, unfiltered, and in his own words.

President Nixon’s voice-activated taping system captured every word spoken in the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, other key locations in the White House, and at Camp David—3,700 hours of recordings between 1971 and 1973. Yet less than five percent of those conversations have ever been transcribed and published. Now, thanks to historian Luke Nichter’s massive effort to digitize and transcribe the tapes, the world can finally read an unprecedented account of one of the most important and controversial presidencies in US history.
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This volume of The Nixon Tapes offers a selection of fascinating scenes from the period in which Nixon opened relations with China, negotiated the SALT I arms agreement with the Soviet Union, and won a landslide reelection victory. All the while, the growing shadow of Watergate and Nixon’s political downfall crept ever closer. The Nixon Tapes provides a never-before-seen glimpse into a flawed president’s hubris, paranoia, and political genius.

The real story of Nixon, from the man himself.

Ever wonder what Nixon thought while he was in the White House? Ever wonder what he talked about? The transcripts are in and they are fascinating.

I’ve done a lot of reading into political events and this book, The Nixon Tapes, certainly tells a vivid story. Nixon isn’t just recalling events. These are his words.

Readers wanting to understand what went on during the turbulent White House years of Nixon’s life will want to read this book. It’s history right in front of the reader and not to be missed. I understood where Nixon was coming from with Watergate, even if I didn’t agree with him. I understood his paranoia, too. He had a plan and wanted the plan executed. The cosmos had other ideas. This book made Nixon more human and relatable.

If you’re looking for a long book (yes, this is long and will take some time to read) that’s gripping and will make you think, then this might be the one for you.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

January Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Blind Sympathy by Roberta Bombonato

January 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Blind Sympathy by Roberta Bombonato
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full length (239 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy
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Vafara is a blind composer who creates new symphonies for the world. Alone in a cabin with only her service dog, she’s not concerned in the slightest for zero cell phone reception in a secluded in the woods. This is her special time where she can be free to let her musical compositions speak to her.

Israfel is a demon one assignment short from graduation: possession of an innocent soul. He’s always known he was different from others of his kind, and meeting the pure Vafara confirmed it.

Will he be able to possess the passionate musician when all he wants to do is hold her? Or will he throw it all away and risk an Angels and Demons war to save her innocent soul from the dark fate that awaits?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: ,

Dear Girls by Ali Wong

December 13, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Dear Girls by Ali Wong
Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Memoir, Humor, Non-Fiction
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so strongly that she even became a popular Halloween costume. Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, Asian culture, working women, and why you never see new mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads.
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The sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom she’s learned from a life in comedy and reveals stories from her life off stage, including the brutal single life in New York (i.e. the inevitable confrontation with erectile dysfunction), reconnecting with her roots (and drinking snake blood) in Vietnam, tales of being a wild child growing up in San Francisco, and parenting war stories. Though addressed to her daughters, Ali Wong’s letters are absurdly funny, surprisingly moving, and enlightening (and gross) for all.

I laughed, snorted and had a great time while reading this book.

I love the humor of Ali Wong. It’s unapologetic and bluntly honest. She pulls no punches. This book is no different. If anyone thought she hadn’t written it, read the first chapter and it’s evident she was fully in charge.

She’s blunt and talks about the things in her life that affected her—her father’s passing, meeting her future husband, her time abroad, learning to be okay with being different and children. She definitely made me look at having children in a different way. I’ve never thought about saying some of the things she does in this book but that’s okay. It’s her book. It’s also a long letter (in chapter form) to her children. I liked how she told it how she saw it. I also loved the epilogue from her husband. It’s sweet, honest and touching. I should add, she talks about butts a lot. I mean, a lot! If you’re not interested in her affinity for butts, then you might want to turn away. If it doesn’t bother you, then no worries. Read away!

If you’re looking for a book that’s funny, heart-wrenching and will stick with you after the final page, then this might be the book for you.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson

December 11, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson
23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, YA
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

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Women in Space profiles 23 pioneers, including Eileen Collins, the first woman to command the space shuttle; Peggy Whitson, who logged more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station; and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space; as well as astronauts from Japan, Canada, Italy, South Korea, France, and more. Readers will also learn about the Mercury 13, American women selected by NASA in the late 1950s to train for spaceflight. Though they matched and sometimes surpassed their male counterparts in performance, they were ultimately denied the opportunity to head out to the launching pad. Their story, and the stories of the pilots, physicists, and doctors who followed them, demonstrate the vital role women have played in the quest for scientific understanding.

Everything I thought I knew about the space program went out the window when I read this book.

This is a YA book, but it’s easily enjoyable by readers of all ages. The writing flows well and hooked me right away. I learned a lot about the women who’ve been to space. Not just that the US sent women, but the first women in Russia and across the globe. Sure, there is a large portion on US astronauts, but it’s balanced by plenty of stories about other female astronauts.

Each chapter is easily understood and well-written. I liked how the author made the women interesting and understandable. It’s not just a story where there is information and it’s presented blandly. Instead, it’s told in a bouncy way that drew me in.

I’m glad I read this book. I’ve wanted to know more about female astronauts and the space program, so this was a perfect piece to add to that puzzle. If you’re interested in the full story of space, this is one book you won’t want to miss.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Mercury 13 by Martha Ackmann

December 10, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Mercury 13 by Martha Ackmann
The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical
Length: Full Length (288 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill. The USSR sent its first woman into space in 1963; the United States did not follow suit for another twenty years.

For the first time, Martha Ackmann tells the story of the dramatic events surrounding these thirteen remarkable women, all crackerjack pilots and patriots who sometimes sacrificed jobs and marriages for a chance to participate in America’s space race against the Soviet Union. In addition to talking extensively to these women, Ackmann interviewed Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and others at NASA and in the White House with firsthand knowledge of the program, and includes here never-before-seen photographs of the Mercury 13 passing their Lovelace tests.
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Despite the crushing disappointment of watching their dreams being derailed, the Mercury 13 went on to extraordinary achievement in their lives: Jerrie Cobb, who began flying when she was so small she had to sit on pillows to see out of the cockpit, dedicated her life to flying solo missions to the Amazon rain forest; Wally Funk, who talked her way into the Lovelace trials, went on to become one of the first female FAA investigators; Janey Hart, mother of eight and, at age forty, the oldest astronaut candidate, had the political savvy to steer the women through congressional hearings and later helped found the National Organization for Women.

A provocative tribute to these extraordinary women, The Mercury 13 is an unforgettable story of determination, resilience, and inextinguishable hope.

Thirteen women who wanted to go to space and the trials surrounding them. I never knew the full story. I know more of it now.

I’ve been on a space bender. I really have. I want to know as much as I can, even though I’m scared of heights and have no chance of ever going to space. Silly, right? Me, a girl who isn’t thrilled by heights wants to know about space. I do.

This book is interesting from the first page. I read it in an afternoon. The writing is such that I was sucked in right away and felt like I knew the women involved. I felt for Ruth Nichols, who wanted to go to space, but would never be able to and died affected by her lack of chances. Jerrie Cobb, the woman who showed women were perfectly suited for space and could be better than the men without being showy about it. I got emotionally involved in their stories.

If you’re looking for a book that reads like a novel and touches on the lives of the women who could’ve gone to space if the chances had come through, then this might be the book you’re looking for. Check it out!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chasing Shadows by Ken Hughes

November 22, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Chasing Shadows by Ken Hughes
The Nixon Tapes, the Chennault Affair, and the Origins of Watergate
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical, Politics
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The break-in at Watergate and the cover-up that followed brought about the resignation of Richard Nixon, creating a political shockwave that reverberates to this day. But as Ken Hughes reveals in his powerful new book, in all the thousands of hours of declassified White House tapes, the president orders a single break-in–and it is not at the Watergate complex. Hughes’s examination of this earlier break-in, plans for which the White House ultimately scrapped, provides a shocking new perspective on a long history of illegal activity that prolonged the Vietnam War and was only partly exposed by the Watergate scandal.

As a key player in the University of Virginia’s Miller Center Presidential Recordings Program, Hughes has spent more than a decade developing and mining the largest extant collection of transcribed tapes from the Johnson and Nixon White Houses. Hughes’s unparalleled investigation has allowed him to unearth a pattern of actions by Nixon going back long before 1972, to the final months of the Johnson administration. Hughes identified a clear narrative line that begins during the 1968 campaign, when Nixon, concerned about the impact on his presidential bid of the Paris peace talks with the Vietnamese, secretly undermined the negotiations through a Republican fundraiser named Anna Chennault. Three years after the election, in an atmosphere of paranoia brought on by the explosive appearance of the Pentagon Papers, Nixon feared that his treasonous–and politically damaging–manipulation of the Vietnam talks would be exposed. Hughes shows how this fear led to the creation of the Secret Investigations Unit, the “White House Plumbers,” and Nixon’s initiation of illegal covert operations guided by the Oval Office. Hughes’s unrivaled command of the White House tapes has allowed him to build an argument about Nixon that goes far beyond what we think we know about Watergate.
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Chasing Shadows is also available as a special e-book that links to the massive collection of White House tapes published by the Miller Center through Rotunda, the electronic imprint of the University of Virginia Press. This unique edition allows the reader to move seamlessly from the book to the recordings’ expertly rendered transcripts and to listen to audio files of the remarkable–and occasionally shocking–conversations on which this dark chapter in American history would ultimately turn.

A break-in, a botch job and a president.

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn’t it? For Richard Nixon, this was part of his life. I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about the Anna Chennault connection to Nixon and his downfall. I’d seen a story on television and wanted to know more.

This book is unique. There are sections, but not really chapters. Fine, but it might be jarring to some readers. Still, the writing is crisp and easy to follow. There are the actual conversations, as per recordings, in the text. I liked that it wasn’t just someone’s opinion, but there were facts to back them up.

I learned a lot from this book. The connection to Chennault was strong–she helped as a go-between with the Vietnam War and the Vietnamese. Nixon was paranoid people were listening in, while he was doing the thing he didn’t want someone to do to him. Oh, and there was a lot of covering up going on.

If you want a book that reads a little like a text book, but gives a lot of information, then this might be the book for you. Gripping.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Near A Thousand Tables: A History of Food by Felipe Fernández-Armesto

November 15, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Near A Thousand Tables: A History of Food by Felipe Fernández-Armesto
Publisher: The Free Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical
Length: Full length (224 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

In Near a Thousand Tables, acclaimed food historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto tells the fascinating story of food as cultural as well as culinary history — a window on the history of mankind.

In this “appetizingly provocative” (Los Angeles Times) book, he guides readers through the eight great revolutions in the world history of food: the origins of cooking, which set humankind on a course apart from other species; the ritualization of eating, which brought magic and meaning into people’s relationship with what they ate; the inception of herding and the invention of agriculture, perhaps the two greatest revolutions of all; the rise of inequality, which led to the development of haute cuisine; the long-range trade in food which, practically alone, broke down cultural barriers; the ecological exchanges, which revolutionized the global distribution of plants and livestock; and, finally, the industrialization and globalization of mass-produced food.
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From prehistoric snail “herding” to Roman banquets to Big Macs to genetically modified tomatoes, Near a Thousand Tables is a full-course meal of extraordinary narrative, brilliant insight, and fascinating explorations that will satisfy the hungriest of readers.

History is a wide-ranging topic, stretching around the globe and across all time, but what kind of history can anyone, from any time relate to? The history of food, of course.

Near A Thousand Tables: A History of Food is not a thick encyclopedia of all foods in all countries. It offers an overview and is a manageable and useful read. The book has the theme of Revolutions in food. For example, it starts out discussing the “The invention of cooking.” Other revolutions include “The meaning of eating,” “Breeding to eat” (herding animals), “The edible earth” (managing plants), and other fascinating insights such as how food played out socially (“Food and Rank”). There is something in this book to surely please a diverse audience.

The style is geared toward a general, adult audience and is intelligent. There are parts that are admittedly disturbing, such as the section on cannibalism. For those with Western food sensibilities, some of the descriptions are cringe-worthy.

This presentation is also chronologically-based. We go from the early eating of our ancient ancestors all the way through time to high cuisine. People will be able to find things throughout the book that they could relate to, but there are many revelations that will be new to almost anyone.

This is a good book, and those who love history or food should give this one a try.

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