The full title of today's selection by Sam Anderson is Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-Class Metropolis. Yeah, that is a lot. And it is also exactly what this book talks about. Sure, Oklahoma City may seem like a strange choice for a book, but once you dive in, the reasons become clear.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that is all about Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, even Minneapolis or Orlando, seem like more obvious, more appropriate choices. But those cities are not in the center of America; of course, neither is Oklahoma City, not really - that distinction belongs somewhere in Kansas. None of those more popular cities have insane tornado seasons, or are home to the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team, a team that has almost as chaotic a history as the city in which they ended up. And only Oklahoma City is the home of Wayne Coyne, the front man of the The Flaming Lips who has an unending loyalty to the place, while also never quite fitting in there. Anderson methodically tells the history of Oklahoma City, beginning in the days before Oklahoma was even a state. Interspersing the city's history with the history of its basketball team, Anderson gives the full and almost unbelievable account of the place, eventually leading up to present day. Of course, on the way Anderson will explore the more well-known historical events such as the tragic bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in 1995; the near-cataclysmic tornadoes of 1999 and 2013; and the shocking (or maybe not-so-shocking) indictment, and even more shocking death, of energy tycoon Aubrey McClendon. It is a history filled with moments of sudden progress, or a 'boom,' only for the progress to be followed by an inevitable and almost predictable 'bust.'
My Verdict: Oklahoma City may seem like a boring subject to some, even if they are hardcore basketball fans or history buffs, but it turns out that the opposite is true, at least the way Anderson tells the story. At times it did seem as if Anderson only wanted to write a sports book about the Oklahoma City Thunder, but ultimately had to make it more about something else, if only for marketability. Still, it works out in his favor. Telling the history of the basketball team alongside the history of the city itself worked well. Even when Anderson zeroes in on the more recent history of the team - particularly right before Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets, and after Kevin Durant left for the Golden State Warriors, and Russell Westbrook decided to stay - switching the narrative between basketball history and city history makes for an interesting way to tell the story of a city. Sports fans will enjoy reliving the chaos, while history buffs will enjoy learning about an often ignored place in a new way.
Favorite Moment: I do not even watch basketball, but I live in San Antonio, so the Spurs are my team. This probably makes me a terrible person, but I was not at all heartbroken at the part where James Harden got traded to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets may not be my team, but they are still a Texas team.
Recommended Reading: Dancing with the Devil in the City of God by Juliana Barbassa is an interesting look at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, another city with a chaotic history, as well as a manic love for soccer.
I am excited to post about the second installment of Tade Thompson's The Wormwood Trilogy. The events of The Rosewater Insurrection come immediately after Rosewater, and once again catch up with Kaaro, though more from a distance this time, as other characters are beginning to play an even bigger role in the strange happenings in his world, as well as in the larger climate of the makeshift city.
The Situation: Kaaro may be more or less done working with the government, but his girlfriend Aminat is not. She does not particularly love what she does, or reporting to her icy boss Femi, but she must keep in mind what they are doing for her brother. For him, she will stick with her job, even as it gets harder to do and more dangerous. While the alien dome offers the people of Rosewater protection, it also presents a massive eventual threat to all of humanity. Aminat may not like Femi, but she continues to carry out her orders, especially since she clearly knows more about the situation than she lets on. Unfortunately, things get incredibly complicated when Jacques, the mayor of Rosewater, decides to add to an already stressful situation by declaring the town's independence from Nigeria. And then there is Alyssa, a woman who wakes up one morning with no memory of the husband she woke up next to, or the small child that comes bounding into her room shortly after. She cannot remember anything about her previously life. In fact, she is pretty sure she is not even human.
The Problem: Jacques' decision to claim independence for Rosewater could not have come at a worse time. The Nigerian government was already upset with the city, and now they have a reason to declare all out war. And the alien dome that would normally protect the city now appears to be sick, and a new otherworldly enemy appears to be the reason. If the citizens of Rosewater are not being attacked by federal forces, then they must fend off the newest alien threat, while also still attempting to strategize against the first one, especially now that they know its long-term plan of eventual domination over Earth. Everyone has their own agenda, even with the ultimate goal of saving humankind needing to be the first priority. It would be bad enough if it was the human race against one powerful alien enemy. Now there are two alien enemies, plus the Nigerian government, and the human forces of Rosewater will need to work together if the city - the planet - is to survive.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel and the second of The Wormwood Trilogy. Unlike Rosewater, this one does not primarily stick with one character's point of view. And while Kaaro is still around, there is much more focus on Aminat as she still works for the agency he abandoned. With Aminat providing one thread to the story, Jacques provides another view as Rosewater's fairly ineffective and somewhat clueless mayor. It appears that almost every move he makes is a wrong one, and despite his best efforts, he cannot catch a break, and ultimately brings destruction and harm to the city he has promised to serve. Then there is Eric, another sensitive like Kaaro, though not nearly as strong. As an agent for the government, Eric follows orders and does not show any alliance except to his superiors. And he really wishes he could keep closer tabs on Kaaro. And then there is Alyssa, a woman who cannot remember her own past, but it becomes clear that she plays an important role in Rosewater's future. There is not only one insurrection to keep up with, but a few. Sure,
there is the political one of Rosewater attempting independence from
Nigeria, but it also seems like the dome has its own enemy, and both fights will be messy.
My Verdict: My goodness there is a lot going on here. And like any good second book in a trilogy, there are questions that still need answering, and it is clear that some of the characters still have surprises waiting for us. Everyone is keeping something from everyone else, even those closest to them. Information is almost as good as money (almost), and allegiances are bought and sold using bribery and blackmail. In other words, war is messy. And war with a superior alien species is both messy and confusing. How do you fight something that almost always, no matter what, has the upper hand, and you have nothing to offer it? At worst, the narrative was confusing, mostly because of the jumping around between different view points and the amount of different groups in play. But at best, this was an adventure you would never want any part of, but would love to watch from very far away. Creative creatures, well-rounded characters, and a space battle on earth? Yes, please.
Favorite Moment: When Aminat slaps Femi across the face. So satisfying. Seriously, she is the worst...unless we somehow find out in the third book that she is the best.
Favorite Character: With Rosewater, I did not hesitate in saying that I did not trust Aminat. Now, she is my favorite character, though I find her attachment to Kaaro to be both ridiculous and annoying.
Recommended Reading: Star of the North by D.B. John is not science fiction, but it has just as much action and is also filled with incredible characters that all have their own part to play in the overall political adventure.
I was incredibly fortunate to meet Jeff Zentner last year when he came to San Antonio for LibraryPalooza, an event that takes place at one of the local high schools and focuses on authors of YA. Of course he was super cool, and really nice, and I am pretty sure he thought I was a high school student, but given the focus of the event, and that I look 12, that is forgivable. Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is his third book, so it joins The Serpent King and Goodbye Days on my bookshelf. Now, if only we can get him to come back to San Antonio so he can sign this one too.
The Situation: It is senior year for Josie and Delia, and they are busy as ever working on their public access TV show, Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. Once a week the duo dresses up and puts on ghoulish makeup to screen old school scary movies, but not classics like The Shining or Psycho. We’re talking the kind that are terrible beyond terrible, with titles like Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things and Werewolf in a Girl’s Dormitory. It has been Josie’s dream to be on TV since she was little, and Delia grew up watching old scary movies with her dad, until he left. Every time a new episode goes up, Delia hopes and prays that her dad will see it, and eventually make his way back to her and her mom. At the very least, she hopes that Josie will stick around after graduation and continue to do the show with her. For once she would like for someone she loves to not leave her behind.
The Problem: While Josie loves doing the show with her best friend, she also knows there are a few different paths to take for a career in TV, and her parents have managed to set her up with an internship at Food Network, in Knoxville. This would mean leaving Delia to do the show alone, something Josie knows her best friend is absolutely not okay with. And if anxiety over Josie possibly deserting her was not bad enough, Delia has also maybe found her father, and how to get in contact with him. Enter a charming new guy who is clearly into Josie, and things get complicated quickly. One ill-fated road trip down to a convention in Florida later, and it looks like everything might fall apart, at least for Delia, and this includes the friendship.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult novel set in present day Jackson, Tennessee. With the chapters alternating between the two, Josie and Delia tell their story while coming from two very different places. Josie’s life is a picture of privilege when held up against Delia’s. While one has two parents with enough connections to score her an internship at Food Network, the other only has her mother who runs her side job as a psychic out of their double wide trailer. Josie also has the good grades and the big plans to go off to college in another city, maybe, if she can bear leaving Delia, who will be attending community college in Jackson, and who also is desperate not to lose her friend, or the show the two of them have worked so hard to create. The girls are so close and get along so well that they are often mistaken as sisters, and they certainly act like they are family. But Josie has dreams of her own that may not include old horror movies, while Delia’s dreams seem completely dependent on Josie.
My Verdict: This book is the full experience, and by that I mean it is funny while also having its sad moments; frustrating in parts while being joyously redeeming in others; and perplexing in certain places (one part in particular...you’ll know it when you see it), while making perfect and prescient points in others, especially near the end. In the beginning, I was decidedly not a fan of Josie, and Delia stressed me out. With the way she treats her younger sister, Josie makes me glad I only have a brother. And with others her own age, she can be condescending, arrogant, and ultimately, kind of a brat. While she is privileged and acts like it, Delia is desperate and acts like it. She has tied her future, even the possibility of getting her dad back in her life, on Josie staying in Jackson so they can continue to do the show and hopefully take it to the next level and make it their careers. With that said, they can be funny, especially when they are together. And they both grow and change enough by the end of the novel that I am willing to forgive previous transgressions. Anyone with a soft spot in their hearts for AV nerds, the awkwardness of public access TV, fateful road trips, or truly bad horror films, will enjoy this book. Also, there are callbacks to both The Serpent King and Goodbye Days.
Favorite Moment: My actual favorite moment includes a spoiler, so for the sake of the blog I will pick when Josie must shell out most of her savings to pay for an ill-fated dinner with a washed up Hollywood legend.
Favorite Character: Arliss, the guy who helps the girls put their show together at TV six, is incredibly grumpy and not at all delighted with his job. And yet, he does it, and he does it well. Not only that, but it is clear he does care about them, even if it is also clear that he would rather be doing anything else than screening terrible classic scary movies with two teenage girls.
Recommended Reading: Out of his two previous books, I prefer The Serpent King, but I will also recommend Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.
I was somehow never forced to read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. So here I am, nearly 20 years out of high school, and I am finally reading what was for many their first Dickens novel. It is one of those classic works that nearly everyone has heard of, and most know the often quoted line "Please, sir, I want some more." But for many, the knowledge stops there.
The Situation: From his birth, it seems that Oliver Twist is going to have a difficult life. Born in a workhouse, with no knowledge of his parents or any family relation, Oliver is a mild-tempered child with weak health and a desire to do good. Unfortunately, in his early life, this natural disposition does not aid him in avoiding the cruelty and greed of those who delight in taking advantage of others. Though he manages to escape the workhouse, he finds himself forced into service with a group of thieves. Even when he manages to gain a better situation for himself, the slightest of errors will find him back among the nastiest men who only mean him harm. Given his age and his lack of strength, Oliver is at the mercy of anyone who deigns to take him in, so he must rely on those who take pity on him, and hope they have his best interest in mind.
The Problem: It becomes clear that there are greater forces working against Oliver, forces that he would know nothing about. While his main objective is to simply stay alive and be of the most help and service to whichever good family decides to take him in as their own, others are looking for the best way to take advantage of everyone else. Having finally found a decent home to reside in, Oliver must still be on the look out for the band of thieves that attempted to conscript him into service, particularly the awful and mean Mr. Sikes. It seems that nearly everyone knows more about Oliver than the boy himself, and it is especially in the best interest of the thieves that he is found and contained. But even they are not the only plotters, or the biggest threat. Oliver may be at the center of the story, but there are so many moving pieces and interested parties that it is hard to see how this small, gentle boy will survive a situation with so many working against him.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a classic fiction novel that was first published as a series, beginning in February 1837, and concluding in April of 1839. One of the novel's traits that almost always signifies a Dickens story is the often humorous names of the characters. Dickens is known for giving names to his characters that more or less describe the person they have been assigned to. The Sowerberries are in fact "sour berries," due to Mrs. Sowerberry's constant scowling, and the fact that her husband is an undertaker. One of my favorite characters, Mr. Grimwig, is named as such due to his cranky and pessimistic nature. Even Oliver Twist, whose name is given to him at the workhouse and does not mean much to those who are in charge of him, is a play on the phrase "all of a twist." Something else that signifies this as a true Dickens story is the theme of social justice and social inequality. The orphans in the workhouse are given as little food as possible so that the people in charge can keep the money they save on food as profit; poverty seems to be everywhere, and not just in concern to Oliver and is journey; and the men who punish Oliver for daring to ask for more food are all overweight. Dickens once again shines light on the misery of the lower class in Victorian London. Also, antisemitism alert, as Fagin "the Jew" is one of the most despicable people in the book, and is often described in terms that link him with animals and beasts.
My Verdict: Possibly the most perplexing thing about Oliver Twist is that the character the book is named for kind of disappears a little over halfway into the novel. There is so much going on and so many key players in the orphan's story, that he ceases to be the primary focus of it for nearly 200 pages. And possibly the most frustrating thing about the book is how susceptible he is to misfortune when he is the focus. The smallest actions see him either getting hurt, becoming ill, or being taken where he does not want to go. When the story does not focus on him, it is almost a relief since it means he cannot get hurt if he is not around. With that said, the plot is well done despite Oliver's lack of involvement in it, and everything does manage to come together for a satisfying conclusion.
Favorite Moment: When Sikes' dog, Bull's Eye, runs off before Sikes can drown him due to his own guilt.
Favorite Character: In true Dickens form, most of these characters are either exasperating, or just plain terrible. The few exceptions are the beautiful and kind Rose, the generous Mr. Brownlow, the patient and loving Mrs. Bedwin, the eager Mr. Losberne, and my favorite, the cranky but ultimately quite sweet Mr. Grimwig.
Recommended Reading: David Copperfield is worth checking out, as is Bleak House. But be warned, those are both well over 500 pages. A Tale of Two Cities remains my favorite Dickens novel, and while it clocks in at "only" 409 pages, it is often said to be one of the hardest ones to get into.
Every Christmas Day, my mom and I make the trek down to 6th Street in Austin, Texas to visit BookPeople, one of the best bookstores in Texas. Today's selection is one of the four books I picked up that day, and another shout out to K. Hogan for bringing it to my attention. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi is also set in and around Austin, as one main character attends UT Austin, while the other lives and works near it.
The Situation: Penelope "Penny" Lee is 18 years-old and off to college. Finally, she is able to leave the needy mother she feels she has nothing in common with and begin her adult life in Austin while attending the University of Texas. She does not feel much for the people she is leaving behind, including her barely boyfriend, her nonexistent friends, her mom, and the people who made a sport of judging them both. Maybe at UT she can learn to be a writer and also meet people she actually wants to hang out with. Penny does end up meeting Sam, a barista at a local coffee shop, and the family relation to her roommate, Jude. Unbeknownst to Penny, and Jude, Sam has his own issues, the least of which being his current residence situated above the coffee shop in which he works. While in the middle of a more off than on relationship with his poisonous ex, Sam is struggling to find his way, and oddly enough, he and Penny find solace in each other, though their relationship almost depends on them never actually talking or seeing each other in person.
The Problem: It turns out that Penny's desire to interact with other humans, or be able to hold a decent conversation, did not increase as she crossed zip codes. Jude is nice enough, though she has boundary issues, and her best friend Mallory is only slightly racist, though incredibly condescending. And while Sam knows deep down that Lorraine is not good for him, something that is easily proven given her actions during a pregnancy scare, he cannot help diving right in and torturing himself. He is beyond broke, his laptop is dead, he wants to be a documentary film maker but cannot afford the classes, and his relationship with his mom is almost beyond redemption. Despite their respective issues, and Jude's warning for her friends to stay away from Sam, he and Penny manage to hit it off...through texting. Through those little speech bubbles, they talk about things they find it impossible to talk about with most everyone else. And like most intense relationships, it is not long before things escalate into something more.
Genre, Themes, History: This book is a YA novel set is present-day Austin, Texas, mostly around the UT campus. It is Penny's first semester in college, which also means it is her first time away from her mother for a significant amount of time. And while she is fine with this transition, her mother is having a harder time. At some point in her life, Penny got over her mother acting more like a friend and started wishing Celeste would act more like a mom. Penny also has to get used to sharing a room with Jude, which is made much more difficult when she is secretly communicating with Sam, Jude's uncle. Both Penny and Sam have issues with their mother, but they also have issues with communicating, which is why texting between the two becomes optimal. But to sell this book as a cute rom-com type where the heroes develop a relationship through texting would be misleading. The texting does not begin until you're fairly well into the book, and the two do manage to meet in person quite a bit (as well as talk on the phone and email). If anything, it is a study in how relationships are complicated, and people can be terrible.
My Verdict: One Goodreads reviewer described this book as triggering and problematic, and I feel like those two words fit the novel perfectly, as heavy issues are brought up and dropped unceremoniously. I immediately did not like Penny, which was hard to recover from for the remainder of the book. She is unlikable as opposed to flawed, judgmental, and quick to bat away attempts to stereotype her Korean heritage, while also managing to throw around her own offensive bits. Also, and this is by far the smallest of her many offenses (and honestly probably says more about me than it does about the book), she asserts that Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a classic, in the same vein as Ender's Game and Dune. It is a fantastic book, but it is not a classic...not yet. While Penny's infatuation with Sam seems plausible, how their relationship develops does not. Her roommate Jude, as a character, is confusing, while Mallory is flat and almost one-note.
The bright spots? I'm all for YA books that explore early college life. And as a Texan, I enjoyed the references to the bad taco place that has the nerve to charge for extras (you know who you are...and shame on you), and also Amy's Ice Cream. And then there is Sam, who, for the most part, I liked. But there were some moments where his blind spots were hard to swallow, even when he was admitting how bad they were. He also said and thought stuff that made me question the blind spots of the author.
Favorite Moment: It can all be summed up in Jude's quote: "'I make a good friend, Penny,' Jude said. 'You didn't even give me a chance.'" I think we have all wanted to scream some version of that at some point in our lives.
Favorite Character: I do like Sam, though he certainly has his issues, as a person and a book character.
Recommended Reading: This general idea was better executed in Rainbow Rowell's Attachments. Though not YA, and more centered around email (set before texting was really a thing), it is a delightful story of our terrible attempts to connect to real people.
The full title of today's selection by Sam Anderson is Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-Class Metropolis. Yeah, that is a lot. And it is also exactly what this book talks about. Sure, Oklahoma City may seem like a strange choice for a book, but once you dive in, the reasons become clear.
