Nonfiction: First in the Family by Jessica Hoppe

The full title of today's book is First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream. In this book, Jessica Hoppe explores in detail her journey through addiction and ongoing recovery, and what it took as the Latinx daughter of immigrants to openly face, and be able to talk about, what was happening.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that opens with Hoppe admitting to being an unreliable narrator, and that the story will come in fragments. She will talk about her birth in San Antonio, Texas, but also reach back even further to her mother's early life in Honduras and how her parents met in the U.S. The details of her addiction and relationship with Alcoholics Anonymous (commonly known simply as AA) also comes in fragments, as does her complicated relationship and feelings about her story, her family's story, and the struggle to acknowledge it all, much less talk about it openly. Hoppe rounds everything out with research and the history of AA, as well as America's war on drugs, and also colonization.

My Verdict: This book is all the things a memoir should be: honest and with a great deal of research behind it. Hoppe did the work of going through her family's history, as well as interviewing those still living, even if the memories may be uncomfortable. The book confronts both the lack of stories from diverse voices regarding addiction and substance abuse, and the narrative this country has written regarding minorities and the war on drugs. There are moments early on in the book that felt less honest and genuine: moments when it seemed that the flawed idea of "the American Dream" and the myth of the exceptional minority were to hold all responsibility for Hoppe's experience. Later, there is deeper discussion of the research and history Hoppe discovered, even into the founding of AA, that is interesting and probably not widely known. 

Favorite Moment: At several moments, Hoppe points out just how easy it is to tell lies about yourself, and at the time, whole-heartedly believe them. 

Recommended Reading: When Crack Was King by Donovan X. Ramsey is an in-depth look at the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, as well as a reevaluation of what happened. 

Goodreads Choice Awards 2024

It is certainly one of my favorite times of the year, even though this year this event totally snuck up on me.

It is time for the annual Goodreads Choice Awards! Yes, it is the time when readers cast their votes for their favorite books of the year, and there are always surprises, upsets, and quite a few "oh yeah, of course" wins. First things first, we gotta take a look at who has been nominated.

In the Favorite Fiction category, there are three DSNs who have earned a place among the nominees. If there was a sub-category for workplace fiction, both I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, and Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum would fit into it. They have made the cut, along with Danzy Senna's Colored Television (blog post coming later this month). All three are certainly worthy, and after much deliberation, I will give my vote to Sue's I Hope This Finds You Well. Anyone who has ever worked in an office will relate to many parts of this book.

For the Favorite Historical Fiction category, this blog may have a record with seven DSNs nominated. This is always a tough category, and this year will be no different with Kristin Hannah's The Women, Xochitl Gonzalez's Anita de Monte Laugh's Last, Percival Everett's James, Vanessa Chan's The Storms We Made, Kate Quinn's The Briar Club, Elizabeth Gonzalez James' The Bullet Swallower, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Seventh Veil of Salome all nominated. It is a stacked list for sure, and I only choose Anita de Monte Laughs Last after the most careful of considerations. Quinn's The Briar Club is a close second, and Hannah's The Women is not to be brushed aside either. 

There is one DSN that made it into the Favorite Fantasy category, and that is Meg Shaffer's The Lost Story. Two young boys get lost in the woods, only to emerge six months later, completely changed. Only one remembers what happened, but it changes the course of both of their lives. Personally, I hoped for more from this story, but I understand why it is popular. 

I gotta say, I am proud of myself for managing to have five DSNs nominated in the Favorite Science Fiction category, as it will always and forever be a genre I struggle to connect with. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino, The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard, Annie Bot by Sierra Greer, Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell, and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley all made the cut. For me, the winner would be Beautyland, but it will certainly have a hard fight against Jeff VanderMeer's Absolution. 

Five books made it into Favorite Debut Novel category, four of which are already nominated in somewhere else. Joining Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, The Storms We Made, Sky Full of Elephants, and The Ministry of Time is Morgan Talty's Fire Exit. This time I will be voting for Hwang Bo-Reum's novel, set in a neighborhood bookshop in South Korea.

The only DSN to make it into Favorite Young Adult Fantasy is The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste, and intense and imaginative story set in a world where brewing love potions may be a lucrative business, but also a dangerous and illegal one. And for the Favorite Young Adult Fiction category, we have The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson, and the dark academic mystery Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. It may not be my favorite YA of the year, but I will give my vote to Where Sleeping Girls Lie, mostly for its inventive and intriguing boarding school setting. 

Only one memoir from the blog made the cut to be nominated as a Favorite Memoir, and it is Hanif Abdurraqib's There's Always This Year. And I am thrilled to see Madness by Antonia Hylton earn a place in the Favorite History & Biography category, as it is as fascinating as it is informative. 

And there we have it readers. Twenty-two DSNs stand proud and ready to receive your votes as you pick out your favorite books for this year, at least from those listed by Goodreads. As usual, I am surprised by a few omissions, as well as a few inclusions. And then there are those authors who I am used to seeing be included, but are not, despite having a book come out this year. Readers are always looking for their next favorite author, and I certainly will be investigating some of the nominees that I previously failed to take notice of. 

With voting for the opening round closing on Sunday, November 24th, be sure to make your voice heard. 

Science Fiction: Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

Being able to squeeze in at least one more science fiction novel before the end of the year is a win for me, as I know it is a genre I can often neglect. Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell first grabbed my attention due to its title, and the premise, as you will soon understand, was more than a little interesting, and I had to know where it would lead.

The Situation: Up until a year ago, Charlie Brunton was serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit. Now, he is a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University. His situation is certainly strange to believe, but what is stranger are the circumstances that allowed it to happen. Before Charlie made it out of prison - where he was broken out, not released - every white person in the U.S. suddenly walked into the nearest body of water. And what remains is a very different country, with a population of people that encompass a wide range of reactions and feelings about what happened. Charlie enjoys being a professor, and would have continued to do it if not for the letter he received from the biracial daughter he never got to meet.

The Problem: Sydney has spent the year since "the event" isolated in her home in Wisconsin, after the rest of her family walked into the lake. While she does not know him, or trust him (or even like him), Charlie was the only person she could think of to reach out to. He is the only person she could look to for help in reaching a place where she believes other members of her family now live. But as the two of them travel south, neither of them is truly ready for what they find. Every region and city operates a little differently, and when they reach what is now the Kingdom of Alabama, Charlie and Sydney will have to re-evaluate what they know about America, the event, and themselves. 

Genre, Themes, History: The book has been tagged as science fiction, speculative fiction, dystopia, and even fantasy, while also including a decent amount of magical realism. Naturally, race is a theme as the book attempts to imagine what this new world looks like, how it operates, and how people would feel. But the reader also gets to see stuff like what Campbell imagines airports and air travel would look like, something I was certainly interested in as someone who loves to travel. Even everyday things like a trip to the local Wal-Mart is a different experience, as is a day trip to a beach. And then there are the people, whose reactions are as diverse as they are, as everyone continues on in various ways. While Charlie has his own complicated feelings, Sydney struggles even more, and must make her own difficult journey regarding grief and identity.

My Verdict: With such an ambitious (and for many, incredibly contentious and uncomfortable) plot, I was surprised to find that this book was less than 300 pages. Granted, it would be impossible to include every imagined or possible scenario following an event like the one suggested here, but I wanted to see even more of the different parts of the U.S, and see more communities and industries and how they operate. Campbell's style of writing is lyrical at times, and then overelaborate in others, with the story and plot coming second to character deliberation. But what is certainly clear is that being alive in this suddenly 'post-racial' country is a complicated matter, and that the struggle with identity continues, as does the desire for community and connection.

Favorite Moment: The description of the Mardi Gras festivities is fun and illuminating, and wonderful picture of joy and community.

Favorite Character: Sailor, a pilot, is on a mission and will not be deterred, although he is not as stubborn and cold as he first appears to be.

Recommended Reading: I recommend James by Percival Everett, which is a retelling of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 

Young Adult Fiction: Sunrise Nights by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro

It is no secret on this blog that I am a big fan of Jeff Zentner's books, so it should not be a surprise that I have finally come around to talking about Sunrise Nights, a young adult novel he cowrote with Brittany Cavallaro. A mixture of poetry and prose, the book follows two teens across three separate nights, over the course of three years.

The Situation: Jude Wheeler loves photography, and has since he was a young kid. He has a good eye, and it is the one thing that allows him to feel in control. With his parent's splitting up, retreating to his camera gives him solace, and it is the reason he is attending Harbor Arts Camp in Michigan. It is also where he meets Florence, a girl who loves dancing, and knows she is good at it. Thing is, she is losing her eyesight, and it is all but certain the her time as a dancer is limited. When the two meet, they proceed to spend the entire last night together - known at the camp as Sunrise Night - by exploring the town, only parting at sunrise after they make a pact: no contact for the next year. Not even through social media. And they will meet up next year at camp.

The Problem: Both Jude and Florence manage to stick to their agreement, but simply meeting up the next year at camp proves to be more complicated than it sounds. Quite a bit has happened to both of them over the last 12 months, and neither of them is ready to be completely honest about it. When a misunderstanding threatens to undo the bonding they have managed to do in just the handful of hours they have known each other, it is not clear what the next 12 months will do to their relationship, and what their last Sunrise Night at camp will bring. 

Genre, Themes, History: This young adult fiction novel is a collaboration between Zentner and Cavallaro, and takes place over three separate nights, each one 12 months after the previous one. Split almost equally between poetry and prose, with the prose being mostly conversation, Jude and Florence proceed to get to know each other exclusively during what is known as Sunrise Night at the Harbor Arts Camp in Michigan. Since the campers are allowed to stay up past their usual curfew, though they must check-in at predetermined times, Jude and Florence explore the city, ending up at a bowling alley, diner, coffee shop, arcade, and even a Target. As they take turns being the first person narrator, Jude and Florence tell their story, while they also learn about each other.

My Verdict: I opened this book at a time when I was kind of lamenting my inability to find YA books like this in 2024. Clearly, I am either not looking hard enough, or my search method is flawed, because this book is exactly what I was hoping it would be. The format is a welcome change, and while I am always quick to admit my struggle in reading and understanding poetry, what is found in this book is accessible, fun without being vapid and cliched, and the conversation is smart, witty, but also believable. Jude and Florence are two teenagers whose worlds are changing a little quicker than they may like, and they only get to catch up with each other for one night of the year. It is an interesting concept that the authors pull off well. 

Favorite Moment: There is a reoccurring character that shows up at one point during each of the Sunrise Nights, and every encounter is funnier than the last. 

Favorite Character: Jude Wheeler is a lot braver than he thinks he is, as he never would have met Florence if he had not gathered up the courage to approach her on that first Sunrise Night. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend Zentner's In the Wild Light, his most recent solo YA novel.

Historical Fiction: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Today I am discussing the fifth book I have read by popular and well-loved author Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The Seventh Veil of Salome is partly a Bible story, and also part historical fiction set in 1950s Hollywood, as a young actress is offered the role everyone wanted.

The Situation: The movie is The Seventh Veil of Salome, and things would be going much smoother if they could just find someone to play the lead role. It is bad enough that the director is hard to work with; rewrites are still happening; and there are certain things that the censors simply will not allow, but the role of Salome still needs to be cast. When the completely unknown Vera Larios is given the part, many cannot believe that a no name from Mexico has landed the coveted role, especially the young and hopeful Nancy Hartley.

The Problem: With the sudden move from Mexico to Los Angeles, Vera finds herself in almost as much confusion and turmoil as Salome, the young woman in the movie who must choose between her loyalties to her family and the throne, and her love of a bold but doomed preacher. Vera is not even sure she wants to be an actress, but the pressure from her mother and the desire to do a good job keep her going. Hollywood is difficult to navigate, but having a few new friends close by may be enough to help Vera hold onto the opportunity she has been given. Meanwhile, Nancy is not quite ready to accept defeat, and is willing to do whatever it takes to be a star. But desperation can be a very dangerous thing.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set in 1950s Hollywood, but also tells the story of Salome, the woman who asked King Herod for the head of John the Baptist after dancing for him. Vera Larios arrives in Hollywood and comes face to face with both racism and jealousy, but she is determined to perform the role she was hired for. But she also must be willing to deal with insistent and entitled male co-stars, demanding directors, and the relentless gossip columns. Vera, Nancy, and Salome are the main focus, but other interested side characters offer their viewpoint on what occurred.

My Verdict: For whatever reason, I felt immediately detached from Salome's story, perhaps because I was already familiar with the version that appears in the Bible. I was much more interested in what was happening with Vera in Hollywood, as a naive young actress trying her best to navigate an often hostile industry, at least for a young actress from Mexico. Her growth over the course of the novel was executed well, and Nancy's resentment over her career not going how she thought it should was displayed in a way that somehow still made her a three dimensional character. Perhaps Salome's story deserved its own book, apart from those who hope to use it to make their careers.

Favorite Moment: There is a moment when we get to meet Nancy's father, and the reader gets a glimpse into her past and why she views Hollywood the way she does.

Favorite Character: Vera is incredibly naive, especially in the beginning. But she slowly begins to speak and stand up for herself, even against her own pushy mother.

Recommended Reading: Brendan Slocumb's Symphony of Secrets is a different kind of historical fiction novel, this time focusing on a young composer hoping to make it big, but no one is interested in the music he comes up with on his own.  

Contemporary Fiction: Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

I am a long-time adorer of Rainbow Rowell. Her YA novel Fangirl remains as one of my all-time favorites, and is one of the few times I have truly felt like I could just read a book for forever. So I did not hesitate to pick up her most recent book, Slow Dance, a contemporary novel written for adults.

The Situation: Shiloh is a single mother of two, now living with her own mother, and doing her best to co-parent with her ex-husband, Ryan. Once a self-assured teenager who was great at making decisions, Shiloh now feels like every decision she has made has led her wrong. But today she is deciding to attend the wedding of one of her best friends from high school, Mikey, even though that means making small talk with strangers and former high school classmates. But the chance of running into her other best friend from high school, Cary, is something she must take advantage of. Sure, it has been 14 years since they have seen each other, and Shiloh is not sure what will come of this meeting. It could be great, but it could also be a disaster.

The Problem: Attending Mikey's wedding turns out to indeed try Shiloh's patience, as well as threaten to completely drain her social battery. But Cary is there, just as she both hoped and feared, and the two manage to reconnect. But has it been too long? Back in high school, everyone thought they were together, but they never were. And now Shiloh feels like their moment may have passed. When she went off to college, and Cary enlisted in the Navy, they promised each other that nothing would change, that they would each stay in touch. But a combination of miscommunication, lack of communication, and of simply not recognizing what was happening has allowed the two of them to lose track of each other. And now it feels like they are starting all over.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a contemporary fiction novel set mostly in modern-day Omaha, Nebraska, but also moves back and forth through time between Mike's wedding and the months after, and when the three friends were in high school just trying to survive adolescence. It seemed clear to nearly everyone back in high school that Shiloh and Cary were interested in each other, but Cary has always been hard to read, and the most Shiloh can manage is to awkwardly poke him, punch him, kick him, pinch him, basically touch him just enough to be annoying. The novel gives the long and full history of Shiloh and Cary's relationship, and how two kids who were clearly in love in their teens, are now attempting to reconnect in their 30s.

My Verdict: Shiloh and Cary's story is interesting enough, and the 'will they won't they' of it all is enough to keep the story engaging while it moves along, reaching back in time while also moving forward at a steady pace. However, the much more interesting story of Cary's family steals the show for me. It is as if the opening band at a concert put on a better show than they headlining act (which does indeed happen), and left the crowd wanting more. More details regarding Cary's family history are given, but I found myself wishing that the book was only about that. Cary's family is given so much background that I would have loved a 500-page saga about them, John Steinbeck East of Eden style. The story of Shiloh and Cary is endearing; the story of Cary's family seems utterly captivating.

Favorite Moment: Shiloh's mother may not have always been the best parental figure, but there is a moment when she breaks into a disturbance between Cary and his family and proves she is no one to mess with.

Favorite Character: Junie (short for Juniper) is Shiloh's oldest child, and while she may be five years old when the novel starts, I enjoyed her overly dramatic reactions to everything, as well as her wild-eyed observations and declarative statements. 

Recommended Reading: I will always recommend Fangirl for those interested in YA, as well as Attachments for the adults. 

Door Stop: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

The time has come to tackle another door stop. On this blog, a 'door stop' is essentially any book that is 500 pages or more, and this week, it is Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. In this tale, Dickens tackles poverty, debtors' prisons, and bureaucracy and red tape in 19th century England.

The Situation: Life inside of the Marshalsea debtors' prison is the only life Amy Dorrit, or Little Dorrit, has ever known. She was born in the prison, and after her mother died when she was very young, she has spent her life being of service to her father, older brother and sister, and their uncle. William Dorrit entered the prison over 30 years before, and has become known as the "Father of the Marshalsea," while trying to hold onto the class and status in which he was raised. Though it would anger her father if he knew, Little Dorrit works as a seamstress for various individuals, one of which is the stern and harsh mother of Arthur Clennam. Arthur suspects that his family may have something to do with William Dorrit being in the debtors' prison, and resolves to find out and right any potential wrong.

The Problem: It is clear that Arthur's mother is holding back on some vital piece of information regarding Arthur's deceased father, so he must make his own investigation, while also entering into a business partnership with a local inventor. Meanwhile, the kind and good-natured Mr. and Mrs. Meagles worry over their spoiled daughter's potential attachment to a young artist who does not make much money, and who is also friends with a mysterious and potentially dangerous man known only as Blandois. Throughout the story, Little Dorrit remains sweet, and good, and hard-working, and while it is clear some take advantage of her goodness, including her own father, she would never hear of going against any of them, and remains a true and faithful servant.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a story of fiction written by Dickens and was published in 19 monthly installments, beginning in December of 1855. Little Dorrit may be the title character, but there are large chunks of the novel when the character disappears completely, while the story focuses not only on Arthur, but also the Meagles, Blandois, and a few other key characters. One major theme is that of imprisonment, as several characters end up bound to their locations for various reasons. Another heavily explored subject is that of government bureaucracy, as the narrator talks at length about the Circumlocution Office and their specialty of not getting anything done. And then there are several characters who experience sudden and severe turns of fortune.

My Verdict: This book is long...like Bleak House long. If there was ever a reason to be thankful for jury duty (and in my mind, there are few), it is because of the long stretches of time in which it allowed me to make headway with this book. The character of Little Dorrit is indeed incredibly good, and sweet, and pitiable, but she is also frustratingly naive, and good to the point of not wanting to cause anyone trouble, including those who do her wrong. Those familiar with Dickens will recognize the style of writing, the fun character names, and the dialogue that often feels to be going in circles (and sometimes it is). If I had to give it a ranking among the other Dickens books I have read, I would have to put it somewhere between Bleak House and David Copperfield, with A Tale of Two Cities still being my favorite.

Favorite Moment: Little Dorrit's older sister Fanny takes advantage of her younger sister's good nature, much like her brother and father. But even with all of her bluster and boasting, there is a moment when even she seems to admit that her situation is not ideal, though she does not do so with words.

Favorite Character: Mr. Pancks is a rent collector who, naturally, is viewed as a villain by those he has to collect rent from, but also enjoys a sort of side hustle as someone who restores people's lost inheritances, therefore helping to reverse the fortunes of a few characters. 

Recommended Reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot is even longer, but also follows a variety of characters in 19th century England.