A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson came out in 2019 and immediately gained lots of traction. The plot follows a high school senior who uses her capstone project as an excuse to investigate the murder of a high schooler that rocked her community five years earlier. With a 4.33 out of 5 star rating on Goodreads, I had high expectations for this YA thriller.
And…it was fine.
I think if I had read it while younger I would have enjoyed it more. But instead of getting immersed into the story, I just got annoyed with the main character. She constantly runs into dangerous situations in pursuit of the murderer. She blackmails, stalks drug dealers, and threatens random adults in the community. And what happens? They blab all their secrets to her.
I don’t need realistic in my teen detective fiction, but some level of common sense from this self-proclaimed good girl would be nice.
This is a book written by a resident of Mukwonago, WI, set in Mukwonago, WI, that will appeal to residents of Mukwonago, WI. (And possibly some of the neighboring towns.)
It is full of Easter eggs designed to elicit ‘I understood that reference!’ moments for locals. Take, for example, the following description of a character’s habitual jog:
“She had a set route for every weekday night, although she always began with a warm-jog to Field Park where she paused for a rigorous ten-minute stretching routine. After that, on Mondays she ran the bike path west along Veterans Way, past the high school, wove her way through that subdivision—the one with the all the famous golf course street names—took Eagle Lake Avenue east to Rochester, and then back to the park…Tuesdays it was the Mukwonago Heights subdivision, where streets were dedicated to NASA astronauts with names like ‘Lovell Court’ and ‘Armstrong Court.'”
Guess which two subdivisions never appear again?
If you’re a local, this is exciting because you recognize those subdivisions. But if you’re not a local…this is an unnecessary info dump with little purpose or payout later. And that basically describes most of this book.
Unfortunately, the other elements of the story don’t really make up for it either. (Someone went through my library copy with a pencil and noted every grammar error which perhaps made them more glaringly obvious than they otherwise would have been, but was a pretty continual reminder that this was self-published.)
I really could not stand the male lead. His personality consists of being an overweight cop (fueled by an almost-constant dialogue about fast food eaten and beers consumed) and siting at the the center of an entirely unbelievable love triangle. (Why would any woman give him the time of day?)
The solution to the mystery truly makes less sense the more I try and explain it to my parents so I’m going to just leave it at that. Certain plot elements were introduced about 2/3rds of the way through the book that I suppose ‘tracks’ with the police figuring it out, but undercuts the Phantom POVs.
To be fair, as someone who grew up in Mukwonago, this book scored enough nostalgia points to sugarcoat a lot of my problems with its internal consistency. I enjoyed it enough that I’ll consider picking up the sequel. But also has someone who has since left Mukwonago, I can’t say there is much else going for it unless you particularly like mysteries with odes to the local public high school.
Having binged several urban fantasy novels while dealing with this pinched nerve, I’ve been on a nonfiction kick recently. But then I started several books at once and…here we are.
Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull (audio book, library)
Written by a co-founder of Pixar, Creativity Inc. is one of those rare management books that combines practical advice with fun stories about the creation of some of the best Pixar movies. This is a re-read for me and part of my overall “re-reading the best books of my 20s” reading challenge for 2024. So far solid, though not hitting as hard as my re-read of Good Profit did.
Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived by Justice Antonin Scalia (audio book, library)
Speaking of re-reads for my 2024 reading challenge, Scalia Speaks contains speeches by Scalia on topics as varied as the law, faith, virtue, pastimes, opera, role models, and friends. It is an inspiring collection. I just had to put listening to this audio book on pause because I kept laughing…which hurt my already inflamed shoulder!
Death in Cyprus by M.M. Kaye (owned, e-book)
This is another re-read for me, though not for any purpose outside of fun. I really like the M.M. Kaye Death In series. They capture a bygone era with the fading of the British empire post-World War 2. I usually forget the plots until I give them a re-read and then I sit there trying to guess if I’m remembering right!
When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan by Peggy Noonan (owned, physical book)
Despite being on my to-read list for over a decade, this is my first time reading this book. Peggy Noonan was a speech writer during the Reagan administration. So far this book is very…nostalgic. I’m trying to reserve judgement as I generally like her other works.
Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (borrowed, physical book)
My Grandma recommended this one. It is a collection of sermons breaking down, well, the causes and cure for spiritual depression. So far there have been some interesting insights, though it takes a lot of focus.
Great by Choice by James C. Collins (owned, physical book)
Written as a follow up to the classic business work Good to Great, Great by Choice looks at how successful companies handled uncertainty and circumstances outside of their control. It is an interesting follow up study and definitely has got my brain cooking!
It has been 100 years since Lord Peter Wimsey burst upon the detective scene and nine years since I personally discovered him. Re-reading now, I remember better why so many seem to characterize this classic detective as a silly caricature. “His long, amiable face looked as if it had generated spontaneously from his top hat, as white maggots breed from Gorgonzola.”
Charming, I’m sure.
He is a slightly fumbling, strange detective and the mystery isn’t all that hard to solve. Characters spend almost as much time mocking detective novels as they do tracking down clues.
And yet I can’t completely write this one off and say that Lord Peter Wimsey improves with later books. Of course, he does. But the elements that make later books so emotionally appealing are here. He is the bored younger son of a duke, racked by PTSD, aimless except for his odd hobby of solving crime. He struggles with the consequences of finding murderers and is racked by guilt when he has been instrumental in bringing them to justice. The book doesn’t immediately end with the conclusion of the mystery, but rather carries on a little further to follow Lord Peter’s emotions and attitudes in the aftermath. It is all there. Just not quite to the level we see 10 books later in Busman’s Honeymoon.
I look forward re-reading this series. There is a reason it has held up for a 100 years…despite having a monocle wearing hero whose face looks like it generated spontaneously from a top hat.
When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks, for troops to carry in their pockets and their rucksacks, in every theater of war.
5/5 stars
A couple things particularly stand out:
1. This is a little taught, little known area of history and Manning fleshes it out beautifully. She kicks off with Nazi book burning and the backlash within the United States, then focuses on the nationwide efforts to provide reading material to the soldiers.
2. Manning isn’t repetitive. She doesn’t re-use quotes or insert herself into the narrative. She simply tells the story and I loved it. I was not at all surprised to read in her author bio that she is an appellate attorney. She is a good writer.
3. While the book does occasionally veer off from the books themselves (for example, with the measures taken by the book publishers to oppose censorship or the response of academia to the Nazi book burning), it generally does so in support of a theme. You get a lot in these 267 pages.
I originally tried this one as an audio and it didn’t really capture my fancy. But in physical form, with pictures and everything, I recommend giving this fascinating history about the power of books a try.
Pay close attention to the subtitle: this book will make so much more sense if you do. I’m ashamed to admit it took me till the very end to realize it wasn’t a work of historical fiction. And may I just say…it makes so much more sense with that context.
The Road From Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope details a young girl’s survival of the Armenian genocide. It is a moving and unique story from a point in history that doesn’t get a lot of attention.
It isn’t the most riveting read. I suppose that’s the nature of real life. The rising tension veers off oddly and important moments either come too fast or feel out of nowhere. Veron’s emotions are hard to follow and make a lot more sense when you realize they are being conveyed by her son, decades later.
But at the same time, it captures the upheaval and confusion of a child in the middle of everything. Lots of her experiences sound like warnings for today.
Glancing over the stack of books I’m currently reading and I’ve realized it better summarizes where I’m at in life than anything else.
Also it has been a while since I’ve last listed all the things I’m reading.
Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Phil Hodges
I’m listening to this one on audio which, next to hearing all these speakers in person, has got to be the best way to enjoy this book. Imagine a bunch of Christian leaders from all walks in society giving mini-TED Talks on what it means to lead like Jesus. That’s this audio. Lots of practical tips and observations on leadership. I’m not sure I’m at the place of my co-worker who says this book is more practical than any John Maxwell book she’s ever read, but she also got the workbook so maybe that’s what I’m missing.
Mentoring 101 by John Maxwell
Speaking of John Maxwell, I picked up this little volume in an attempt to glean some insights while taking on another legal assistant at work. I’ve been reading lots of John Maxwell recently, so a lot of his stories are starting to sound familiar. But I’ve already found one or two nuggets I can implement in my day to day interaction with co-workers, so that’s helpful.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
This is a book club read and so far splitting the group neatly in two. Half of our group find the focus on politics and court drama boring. Half love it. I’m in the loving it crowd so far, but I love some good court intrigue. The story follows the forgotten youngest son of the elvish emperor who inherits the throne when his father and three older brothers suddenly die. Unschooled in court politics, he must now figure out how to rule and whom he can trust for advice.
A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
I’m not going to lie, Elisabeth Elliot has never been my favorite author, and her emphasis on the Victorian morals of Amy Carmichael almost made me chuck this one before I really began. But the story of Amy Carmichael is so fascinating that I’m hooked.
A History of the Church in England by JRH Moorman
As I’ve recently joined an Anglican church, I’ve been on a hunt to learn more about the history of Anglicanism and this nearly 500-page tome has been recommended repeatedly. I can understand why. Despite the length, it is engaging and well written. But also…long. This read will take a while.
Paying Workers In a Homeschool Organization by Carol Topp
I’m taking on some additional duties at my job helping with homeschool originations. This book is definitely a gift. Easy to understand and tailored to the unique needs of co-ops, I think this is advice any non-profit could use! (Probably so readable because it isn’t written by an attorney.)
Start a 501c3 Nonprofit That Doesn’t Ruin Your Life by Attorney Audrey K. Chisholm
Now if you want a book about starting a nonprofit written by an attorney…still fairly readable so far. A good overview thus far but I can’t say I’m excited to pick it up.
The Leadership Academy is a gap year program designed for students to gain real world experience and to grow their faith as they take a break from academics. Among other things, the program brings in speakers to talk about different areas of career development and life to their students. I was invited to speak about the legal field. As part of it, I decided to present the students with a list of the top 10 most influential (and lesser known) books I had read that shaped my thoughts on law, politics, or economics.
As a disclaimer, there are several titles or authors that would normally be on here that I left off because I knew the students were already reading them for class. For example, G.K. Chesterton, Thomas Sowell, and C.S. Lewis would absolutely be on here if I was making this list for any other group.
1. My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir by Clarence Thomas
2. Contempt of Court: The Turn-of-the-Century Lynching that Launched a Hundred Years of Federalism by Mark Curriden and Leroy Philips
3. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
4. Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived by Antonin Scalia
5. Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway and Carrie Severino
6. Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
7. Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber
8. Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass by Theodore Dalrymple
9. How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority by Clay Scroggins
10. Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence, and Creating in a Cultural Storm by Mark Sayers
In honor of this review almost becoming my most liked review on Goodreads, I present….
This book did the impossible: it made me like Prince King Charles.
Poor man got stuck with a wanker for a younger son. I’m not saying his life choices didn’t contribute to the problem. But geesh. Every time Harry went on whining about his father I kept thinking, ‘But that’s not terrible parenting? That is actually surprisingly gentle and understanding on his father’s part?’
Are we sure the palace didn’t have a hand in writing this book?
I don’t want to minimize the terrible things that have happened to Prince Harry. The loss of his mother, best friend, and military career all clearly impacted him in ways that were not adequately addressed at the time. What makes reading this book so frustrating, however, is his sense of proportion. He ties everything back to being a prince—even (and especially) things that are not unique to royalty. To name a few:
* Parental divorce * Sibling dynamics like sharing a room or an older brother who doesn’t acknowledge you at school (and laughs when you do stupid things instead of comforting you) * A nonacademic student struggling to connect with a reserved, academic parent * Trying to find your calling/passion in life * Feeling left out as the “single” sibling in a family full of couples * Wedding drama over stupid stuff that leaves the bride in tears * Cultural differences when marrying someone from a different country
None of those things are unique (without seeking to minimize them, I would say even and including his obvious depression and PTSD) but he seems to think they are. And maybe everything is extra extreme for him as a prince. I’m obviously not in his shoes. But while money can’t buy happiness, it sure can make things easier, as he amply demonstrates every time he heads to a different continent to “get away.” Or when the military spends millions to train him on flying Apache helicopters when he can’t just be a “regular soldier.”
Also I just can’t get over the amount of time he complains about photos of him in nightclubs/doing drugs/wild parties circulated and then admits to being in all those places and doing loads of drugs. Like, my dude. There is a simple solution to this?? Maybe find a different hobby?
The real loser in all of this, unfortunately, is the family he blames so loudly for his problems. He clearly expected them all to have realized he was struggling, but it is obvious even from his own very biased perspective that they were doing their best. He set expectations for them (especially Charles and William) that they didn’t know about, so how could they live up to them? While I’m sure Harry’s daughter is delightful, it is a pity he didn’t have two sons. I think it would have helped Harry come to terms with his own problems with his brother if he could seen the sibling dynamics from a different perspective. Older brothers are older brothers, regardless of whether you define them as Heir and Spare. The trappings of royalty might make it more complicated, but nothing I read showed William as anything other than a typical older brother dealing with stress in his own way.
Next to family, Harry blames the paparazzi for the pain in his life. Here he might have more of a point. But I also think even at the heart of it, he really is blaming his family for not “standing by him” and denying every statement that hurt his feelings. Once again, though, I was with his family. There isn’t much point over fighting over every lie. You’d end up doing nothing else. And if a book like this is what he had in mind with defending his honor…well…I think he kind of proves their point. A lot of it just seems petty. (How dare the palace not clarify after-the-fact in a full press media broadcast that they told Meg not to wear a hat when the paparazzi mocked Meg for not wearing a hat to some random royal function!) What did this book accomplish besides highlighting a lot of stupid drama and illustrating that there is plenty to be frustrated with Harry about completely aside from the rubbish the press dragged up?
Maybe I’d have appreciated the book more if I felt it at least showed growth. I’m glad by the end Harry got some counseling. Hopefully he continues on that journey. But the stream-of-conscience style grated on me as a reader. The fragmented style, choppy chapters, and irrelevant stories that never tied back in also left me frustrated. He either over or under shares everything. He presumes an innate knowledge of players and occasions in his life that I simply didn’t possess. Then he goes into detail about bowel movements, family jewels, and frostbite situations. The man’s sense of TMI is all out of whack.
(I understand those are the salacious bits that sold this book for many, but they just him feeling more out of touch than ever. Heading to the South Pole any time soon? Might I recommend a bespoke cozy for your private parts? )
And you know, most disappointing of all, not once did he mention the reality TV show I Want To Marry Harry! (Okay, yeah, I’m kidding there, but with how randomly he chooses what to highlight, why not that show? Seemed like positive PR to me.)
Bottom line: at many points during this book I thought, ‘Was Harry dropped on his head as a baby? Is that what this is about?’ and finally I have concluded, ‘No. He just did a lot of drugs and never learned to see a situation from anyone’s perspective. He does, however, expect everyone to be able to see it from his.’
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