I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

"Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and that the ideas of great authors will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned."

Maya Angelou ends her story of her youth with the birth of her son and that is a fitting ending for with a child comes an adult's responsibilities; although, she was only a teenager when she had him and had only had one very hasty and unsatisfying, almost impersonal, sexual experience to gain that son. It feels a bit abrupt when you are reading it, I had a son, the end.

She had a disjointed upbringing with much movement between households, all over the country, ending up in San Francisco, by way of the deep South and other states along the way. Her mother and father divorced early and her first memories are of her father's mother who raised her. She and her brother, Bailey were then moved to St. Louis to her mother's house, where she lived with her mother, brother and a Mr. Freeman. Since her mother was out working a lot, Mr. Freeman sexually assaulted her and eventually raped her. She was 8. Little girls and boys left alone with "boyfriends" often suffer this way. In this case she did eventually tell on him and there was a trial and he was found guilty, but only served one day in jail. He was found dead in a parking lot shortly after. Angelou strongly suspects that her uncles killed him. There are few hints that her mothers family had strong underground ties. 

Maya from then on loses her voice, both literally and figuratively, and doesn't speak for years. She says it's because her speaking made a man lose his life, but maybe part of the reason was because she was traumatized and angry and she knew her relatives resented her for becoming a different child afterwards, sullen and sad, and they expected her to get over it and move on. Her silence was the answer to that.

This is a moving memoir and very dark and she does move on, because she has to or give up. This story is told with a matter of factness that only comes from acceptance. Maya Angelou doesn't ask for pity or help, it is only a relaying of a life story, both unusual and frighteningly  common. 

Age Rating 14+. Mature themes. 

The King's Witch #1 - Tracy Borman

"In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents’ country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. She is happy to stay at home when King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism sees witchcraft in many of the old customs—punishable by death.

But when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to the royal palace, she is a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King’s precocious young daughter, and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But is he all that he seems?"

This novel was written by a historian and you can tell, for better and for worse. I am not usually a fan of historical fiction as I prefer to read non-fiction regarding facts but this ones title intrigued me. The history surrounding this book was by far my favourite part. Reading about this tumultuous time was both suspenseful and fascinating. This historically accurate novel was also able to paint a painful portrait of women in court at the time which created a real sense of claustrophobia and lack of agency that isn't always associated with those of high social standing. I liked reading about Frances as a vehicle for describing women of this era but I found a few passages a little belittling to other women with more excepted interests of the time. Just because you like clothes doesn't mean your airheaded.The romance was too fleeting to be believable, I am not one for sappy romances but a few more pages and scenes together would have gone a long way. 

The writing itself isn't particularly descriptive which occasionally left me feeling like the physical setting was foggy, not quite being able to make out the details. I think this lack of description also came in to play with character building. Despite really enjoying Frances as an example for women of her time I didn't really feel a connection with her. Perhaps this is just the other side of the same coin. As someone who loves atmospheric novels I felt that this one could have used a wee bit more description to fully illustrate the setting. 

It had a slow start and I had no hints it was about such a famous plot. I don't think I will be continuing the trilogy but I would certainly recommend to someone who enjoyed this genre. 

Age Rating 13+. I am unsure if the scenes where people are quite publicly making out after banquets where historically accurate. I truly, for the sake of decency, hope not. 

The Burning - Laura Bates

"A rumour is like a fire. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames …
 
New school.
Tick.
New town.
Tick.
New surname.
Tick.
Social media profiles?
Erased.
 
There’s nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the ‘incident’."

I hadn't heard anything about this book before picking it up and the vague blurb kept me guessing. The last thing I expected was the plot I got. I won’t go so far as to saying I enjoyed the whole plot, however it wasn’t a painful or hard read. It was quite a light-hearted read for the content covered. 

This book tries to deal with some important issues of slut-shaming, revenge porn bullying, teen pregnancy, abortion, and double standards. Some I think it does okay, others less so, but I think the main issue is that there is too much in this book. I think it would have been much better if it focused on one issue and had that as the sole focus. The content is never hard hitting and is covered in such a PG way. 

One thing that really confused me was the lack of parental involvement or challenge; Anna has had private photos shared around school on social media twice, and yet no one considers contacting the police on either occasion. Anna is underage; she has had private photos sent around as revenge; essentially what we are talking about here is the distribution of child pornography. Yet no teacher (at either school) points this out, rather they just want to get rid of Anna. This is likely a realistic representation because it wouldn’t surprise me if teachers did this, but it was a little disappointing that this aspect of the book wasn’t addressed.

It did frustrate me a little how the three main girls resolution came about; it just seemed a little bit rushed and didn’t really give them the chance for them to really explore their issues. What frustrated me even more though was the reveal that Anna’s mother was the one who shared the information about her friends abortion with a previous friend. I know we’re meant to understand that Anna’s mother is lonely and wants friends, but we also clearly see her anger towards Anna’s past friends and their parents, so I honestly don’t believe she would then start yapping on with them about what was going on for Anna now. It just didn’t ring true to me.

What I honestly found a bit boring with this book was the flashbacks; they just didn’t intrigue me or grip me at all, and I found myself skipping through these sections as I just felt they didn’t further the plot at all. I appreciate they were meant to show parallels between the past treatment of women and how we treat women today however that concept, while a brilliant concept, wasn't executed well enough to actually mean anything. 

Overall a book that tried to cover tough topics that do need to be discussed but pussy footed around it too much to convey the true horror and invasion that it was covering. It's writing let it down. 

Age Rating 14+. As said above, covers some more mature topics and does describe the photos used for revenge porn. 

Dreams of Gods and Monsters - Laini Taylor

"Two worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera's rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her.

When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited - not in love, but in a tentative alliance against their common enemy. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves.

But with even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Akiva strong enough to stand among the gods and monsters?

The New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion as - from the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond - humans, chimaera, and seraphim strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy"

I have truly really enjoyed this series but this book just felt all over the place? The huge world changing conflict that had been brewing in the previous books is resolved without a whole lot of fanfare, barely getting 10 pages. There is no dramatic battle, no epic losses that people sob together over the broken bodies of their friends. It's kind of just over with one conversation, in one chapter even though there were still 150 pages left in the book! Which brought us to the reason why there had been random glimpses of characters in this, but who were never even introduced and that I had no time to really bond with? I mean, side plots can be a great literary device, but when they come out of nowhere like this one, I'm just left thinking, ‘well, what's even the point of that?’ for a book as lengthy as this, it just felt very tedious and not as meaningful as I would have liked. Personally the addition of the whole Cataclysm, interdimensional monsters plot was confusing, unnecessary and diminished the importance of the other conflicts. I think Laini should have stuck with and fleshed out more the over throwing of the Empire and melding of the Seraph and Chimera cultures which is just happily glossed over.

I obviously still have my gripes toward Karou's and Akiva's infuriating insta-love both in this lifetime and the last, but I have already ranted about that in previous reviews of this series so I won't rehash to much. Liraz's and Ziri's relationship was sweet but I think a little rushed. I would have preferred if it had been left as a suggestion of something that might happen in the future rather than a fully realised relationship. I just don't see Liraz, most terrifying Misbegotten, raised to love none and detest chimeras opening up so easily.

But as always, Laini Taylor's writing was on point, I will give her that. I loved Zuzana as usual, she is always the highlight of the books. I just think Laini bit off a little more than she could chew by trying to cram too much into one book, making it 600 pages of randomness. Still, I'm glad I finished the series and got some closure.

Age Rating 14+. So many allusions to sex that I have given myself brain damage from eyerolling. Just say it, don't prance around the issue with butterfly slippers

Look Me in the Eye - John Elder Robinson

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.

After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t: communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck.

It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.

Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as "defective."

To be honest I feel mildly duped by this book. The title leads one to believe that the book is about the author's life with Asperger's, but that's a little misleading. The book is about his life in general and very little is devoted to how Asperger's influenced his life at all ages. I wanted to read a memoir about growing up within a dysfunctional family and also having a condition that makes life different, but what I read was about his experiences with sound engineering, some good stories, far too much boring work stuff and, occasionally, his Asperger's. His condition seemed to be tangential, an afterthought.

This was disappointing to me as someone who has this condition I wanted to compare how his and my experience of this disorder would be similar or differ. However very little insight was given.

Overall I wouldn't really suggest this book to anyone how wanted to understand Asperger's. An okay book but nothing to write home about. Easily the best part was his trip to the tropical island and touring with KISS.

Age Rating 14+. Child abuse, alcoholism and some very sad descriptions of his mothers schizophrenia.
  

The Wisdom of Psychopaths - Kevin Dutton

"In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviours, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of “madness” along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, Dutton demonstrates that the brilliant neurosurgeon who lacks empathy has more in common with a Ted Bundy who kills for pleasure than we may wish to admit, and that a mugger in a dimly lit parking lot may well, in fact, have the same nerveless poise as a titan of industry.

Dutton argues that there are indeed “functional psychopaths” among us—different from their murderous counterparts—who use their detached, unflinching, and charismatic personalities to succeed in mainstream society, and that shockingly, in some fields, the more “psychopathic” people are, the more likely they are to succeed. Dutton deconstructs this often misunderstood diagnosis through bold on-the-ground reporting and original scientific research as he mingles with the criminally insane in a high-security ward, shares a drink with one of the world’s most successful con artists, and undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation to discover first-hand exactly how it feels to see through the eyes of a psychopath."

In sum, this book is about how some psychopathic qualities are actually really helpful and positive and incorporating them into your life can make you succeed. They can reduce anxiety and depression, make you more productive, and even make your more empathetic (although if you're a true psychopath with sadistic tendencies, the empathy pay-out is getting to enjoy the suffering of your victims more … so, this isn't a heart-warming "hope for psychopaths" book).

Look, I'll be honest. I was kind of jealous of psychopaths after reading this book. I mean, I'd love to react to all situations in a cold and calculating manner, with a accompanying drop in blood pressure and heartrate. I'd love to be able to never take things personally, see projects through doggedly to the end, and keep myself from fearing by staying strictly in the "now."  However something that would ha ben and improvement to the book, was that while Dr Dutton kept calling successful career psychopaths "functional" he didn't at all go into how functional a psychopaths family is. Did they not have families to interview or...?  As someone with a psychopath in the family I can say that their influence in life never lead to a functional family environment.

What annoyed me is after all the promising studies, Dutton doesn't really tell us HOW to make the more positive traits of the psychopath into our own. While I understand part of the premise is that they're just "wired that way" (the author himself has part of his brain treated to feel like a psychopath for an afternoon). What I would've liked is something in the cognitive behavioural realm to get there.  Instead, he wasted pages boy crushing on Special Forces agents, cops, and his childhood psychopathic friend who I'm unclear why he kept. Nope, he punted that to TIBETAN MONKS MEDITATING. Look, Tibetan monks have been doing that for a while. How about something more approachable?

At the very least, it would've been considerate of him to include the questionnaire used to measure the index of one's own psychopathic tendencies, even if I was just a little morbidly curious after discovering I have not issues whatsoever shoving fat guys in front of streetcars to save other people. Since most of the studies use this as a basis to pick their subjects and control group, it would've been helpful.

The lack of female psychopaths in this book was also a real problem, even though he did point out they are the minority a contrast would've been nice since I think dealing with psychopathic females always has its own issues. In fact, given that he was targeting the "most successful psychopaths" and singing their praises to high heaven, some rep of the fairer sex would've been much appreciated. I mean, we're allowed to be lawyers now - even CEOs, the number ONE profession where you have a tendency to be a psychopath.

That said, I still learned enough from this book not to make it a tossup  and I really enjoyed reading about the cognitive differences between psychopaths and non-psychopaths that were backed up with some extremely interesting studies that made me look at psychopaths in a new light. The book was well written and flowed easily.

Age Rating 14+. Discusses some of the more famous serial killing psychopaths crimes and uses some high grade technical language.

Rebel of the Sands #1 - Alwyn Hamilton

"Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic.  For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three.  She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew."

This is my second Arabian fantasy book in quite a short time. I must say I preferred this one to The Wrath and Dawn however I still had a few issues with it. Firstly, I just did not like the fusion of Arabian mythology with a Western setting. By "Western", I mean cowboys, shoot outs, saloons, etc. I didn't think it worked and, if you ask me, it succeeded in taking an area of the world that is oft-unexplored in modern fantasy and westernizing it. It’s not everyday that I read a book set in the desert. That makes for a bleak visual world-building, I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t impressed by the description of places, no shock there.

Secondly Jin is an easy-to-spot love interest as early as page seven, when he is introduced with a detailed description of his bone structure *rolls eyes*. 
The books starts with Amani who is dead on with a gun and she is desperately wanting to get out of her town and away from her despicable uncle and his many wives and children. It's not a very good living situation and she wants to get out before she is married off or married to her uncle. Hell to the no!

I loved the mystical creatures presented, if I dare use that word. Until we actually meet one of those creatures, they are talked about as if they were fairy-tale characters, like they may exist… somewhere. I had no idea this was the magic mentioned in the blurb.

For a debut, it’s pretty well done. For a first in a new series, it’s not bad at all. It starts with action and ends with action. In between, however, it’s less Formula 1 and more Dora the Explorer. The danger is not as present and the walking and riding and escaping seem to be a tad eternal.

So thank goodness for a strong, three-dimensional and witty heroine to keep us company during this uncertain period of cat and mouse chase. There’s talk of a war… that’s on the brink of combustion somewhere… but we have to wait a long time before being privy to any juicy detail concerning it. Talk about building suspense.

When I got to the end I couldn’t stop reading. The last 1/3 of the book is really something. It should have been like that all along in my opinion. Will be trying the second book with crossed fingers.

Age Rating 13+. Nothing much untoward but there is one scene where a girl is shot at close range.