Ms. Hen reviews The Marrow Thieves

 

The Marrow Thieves

Cherie Dimaline

Cormorant Books

2017

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because she read about it on the back of MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW, which she read recently. She is always interested in dystopian fiction, and she thinks that Native American depictions of this are especially interesting. Going back to the Native ways when the world is ending is a fascinating idea.

Francis, or Frenchie, is a teenage boy who is running from the Recruiters, people who catch Indigenous people to harvest their bone marrow to acquire their dreams. Most of the people on Earth have lost the ability to dream, since the environment has gone to ruin. He meets up with a group of people and they become a family; they run, and they hunt, and attempt to survive in the world. The elders, Miigwans and Minerva, guide the young people in the group.

The family suffers losses, but also experience happiness. Frenchie falls for Rose, a part Black Native who he thinks is beautiful. The members of the group tell their coming to stories to each other. They almost get caught several times, but make it through. They hear stories of the schools, where their dreams are harvested, and fear what will happen to them if they get caught.

This novel is like many other post-apocalyptic novels Ms. Hen has read, but with an Indigenous twist. It reminds her of THE ROAD, obviously, and also STATION ELEVEN, and MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW. But this is different because it has many different layers; it's about forming a family, and the importance of dreams. If people lose their dreams, they lose their ability to free their minds and truly rest in sleep.

This is a young adult novel, but Ms. Hen thinks anyone could read it. This is a great example of writing about young people: their nuances, and how they act, their exuberance and excitement at the newness of seeing the world. It's been a long time since Ms. Hen was a teenager, but she thinks that these depictions are realistic.

This novel is dark, but hopeful. Ms. Hen thinks it's important because it's a twist at looking at the post-apocalyptic world. This novel should get attention, and is has, because the future is coming, and we don't know yet what it will bring. 

Ms. Hen reviews Leading Men

 

Leading Men

Christopher Castellani

Viking

2019

Ms. Hen found this at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She has seen the author around Boston many times at events, but never got around to reading his books. She doesn't know what took her so long, but when something is meant to be, it happens.

She happened to be reading this at the same time she was watching the second season of HBO's WHITE LOTUS, which also takes place in Italy, and the two works complimented each other. Ms. Hen could smell the warmth of summer as she read this novel, and as well as the sea and the wine and marinara sauce.

This novel is about Tennessee Williams, and his lover Frank Merlo, while they stay in Italy in the 1950s. They go to a party in Portofino given by Truman Capote, and meet a Swedish mother and daughter who appear to need help. The mother, Bitte, wants to marry a rich man, and the daughter, Anja wants to be an actress. Tennessee and Frank decide to assist Anja with her career.

The narrative travels back and forth between time when Tennessee and Frank first meet Anja, to Anja in present day, and also to when Frank is sick with cancer in the hospital in New York. Anja in present time is over eighty, and becomes friends with the son of Sandro, a man she met in Italy when she was young. She tells him about Tennessee's last play that is in her possession, and he tries to convince her to produce it.

Ms. Hen adored this novel. She loves reading about writers and how quirky and unstable they are, the way they work, and their habits, and lifestyles. The world was different in Tennessee Williams' time, not better or worse, but different. Women had it worse, and were not respected, but the gay men in this novel admire straight women, and enjoy their company.

This novel gives an excellent example of writing in varying timelines. Ms. Hen got to see Anja as a young woman, then an elderly woman, and she saw how she had evolved, and the world had transformed around her. Experiencing characters at different phases of life, not gradually, but with sharp lines between the chapters is an exciting way to read. There's a lot to Anja, and the other characters, that occurs that is not mentioned, but is written between the lines. Ms. Hen likes not having the whole package handed to her neatly.

Ms. Hen read this novel slowly, because she did not want it to end. She wanted to keep living in this world, with Tennessee and Frank and Anja and Sandro, because it's a beautiful world, full of artists and the possibility of beauty. Artists create beauty, but the world around them is not always beautiful. Ms. Hen dreams of a beautiful world, and this novel helped her experience that for a little while.

Ms. Hen reviews Virginia

 

Virginia

Edna O'Brien

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

1981

Ms. Hen stumbled upon this book in a small used bookstore in Concord, MA, called Barrow Books. She has read a lot by Edna O'Brien, and is very interested in Virginia Woolf, and she was excited to find a play about her. When she bought the book, she discovered it had been autographed, which made it even better.

This play is an autobiographical look at Virginia Woolf's life. No dates are given in the play, she exists in different time periods throughout the play. She marries her husband, and they have a difficult life, but they entertain each other. He publishes her books, and she does what she wants.

She meets Vita Sackville-West, and they have an affair, though they are both married to men. Virginia had spent time in a psychiatric hospital, and was troubled. She is talented, but haunted. She can't handle that England has entered another war and commits suicide by walking into a river with stones in her pockets.

Ms. Hen does not know what to make of the Virginia of this play. She is almost jealous of her, because she has the freedom to do what she wants with her life, and does not have to pretend to be a normal person. Ms. Hen does not like the idea of pretending to be sane; she thinks people should be able to be themselves. But that is not possible in the real world. Virginia did not live in the same world as everyone else.

Ms. Hen enjoyed this play, and spending time with Virginia. She thinks that O'Brien did a decent job writing about her, and Ms. Hen would like to see this play. She thinks reading drama takes imagination, and Ms. Hen has plenty of that. Ms. Hen can imagine what it's like to be in Virginia's wild mind, somewhere floating into space.

Ms. Hen reviews Interior Chinatown

 

Interior Chinatown

Charles Yu

Vintage Contemporaries

2020

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel after she heard it mentioned on the podcast SFF Yeah! on the website Bookriot. She learned it is going to be a TV series. She is interested in different types of books about minorities, and also ones written in alternative styles. This novel is written partly as a film script for a TV show, but the characters live in the show.

This novel is about an actor who plays Generic Asian Man, in its variations on several different TV shows, but primarily BLACK AND WHITE, a show about a white cop and a black cop trying to solve mysteries in Chinatown. The character, whose name is Willis, has spent his entire life in Chinatown, and has not had an opportunity to leave. He thinks that if he works hard enough, he will be able to play Kung Fu Guy, and become a star.

Willis doesn't realize that he will never get the chance he wants. He doesn't know that he will always be seen as generic, and in the background. He meets a woman, and falls in love, but refuses to leave Chinatown, because he perpetually thinks his big break is around the corner.

This novel is complicated; it is about how Asian people are seen in this country, and in the media. It discusses how Asian people on TV are usually in the background, or they play specific parts, such as Delivery Guy, Pretty Oriental Flower, Asian Seductress, Wizened Chinaman, Old Asian Guy, and the list goes on. The novel is satire, and difficult subjects are talked about in a dark, humorous way.

The characters don't seem to be able to get out of their comfort zones, until Willis runs away to find his daughter, and gets in trouble. This novel is about fighting against what is expected, and finding a new path. It's difficult to start a new life, and sometimes a person needs a jumpstart, like these characters on the TV show.

This novel reminds Ms. Hen of other novels written in a film script or play form. Some novels break into a play in the middle, like ULYSSES. Ms. Hen does not read a lot of drama, because she prefers to watch a play or a movie, but she is not averse to it.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel is wonderful, difficult, and beautiful, all at the same time. The world is dysfunctional, and Hollywood is even more so, but this is the only world we have. So far.

Ms. Hen reviews All Systems Red

 

All Systems Red

Martha Wells

Tor

2017

Ms. Hen learned about this book on a podcast she listens to sometimes from the website Bookriot. She has read a few books they have recommended recently, and she has liked them all. This novel was on the Science Fiction and Fantasy comfort reads episode.

This novel is about a security robot that does not have a name, but it calls itself Murderbot. It is a SecUnit that is hired to protect scientists when they work space. This SecUnit does not like to be around humans, because it is awkward and shy, and does not know what to say around people. It prefers to watch serials, TV shows that it has stored in its memory. Murderbot is human this way.

Murderbot is guarding some people on a planet, when there is a situation where other scientist are killed in their area. The group and Murderbot go to investigate. Murderbot saves everyone, and they are all happy except Murderbot, because it just wants to be left alone.

Ms. Hen thinks this is a very strange, but interesting novel. It's very short, and can be read quickly. It's a series, and there is more to the saga of Murderbot. Ms. Hen might read the rest of the books sometime.

Ms. Hen thinks it's charming the way the robot has feelings; it is part clone, so it is part human. Ms. Hen loves the way it can't stand to be around people, because she thinks a lot of humans are this way, too, especially young people who have grown up with technology. It's difficult to talk to people if a person or even a robot does not have the skills to do so.

Ms. Hen thinks this is a great book, even though the violent parts dragged a little. It's about a robot who is like a human, but does not want to be. Sometimes in life people are things they don't want, so a lot of readers can relate to Murderbot. Murderbot is cute, and even though it has killed people, it can also earn your sympathy. You will cheer for Murderbot! Everyone deserve a chance to get what they want, even robots.

Ms. Hen reviews About Grace

 

About Grace

Anthony Doerr

Scribner

2004

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because earlier this year, she had read another one by this author, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, and she thought it was fantastic. She had high hopes for this book, because the other one was so great. But not everything turns out the way we plan.

This novel is about David Winkler, a man from Anchorage, Alaska, who has dreams that come true. He discovers this at a young age, and it scares him. He dreams that he meets a woman at the supermarket, and he does. Sandy is married, and they start an affair. She gets pregnant, and she knows it is David's, since her husband is infertile. They run away together.

They get married in Ohio, even though she is already married, and have the baby. David dreams that his daughter dies in a flood, and wants to prevent it. A flood comes, and he cannot bring himself to go back to his house to see if the baby, Grace, is alive. He drives away, and goes to Pennsylvania, and then New York. He takes a ship to South America, and ends up on the island country of St. Vincent, in the Caribbean. He stays there for twenty-five years, and does not know what happened to his daughter.

This is a novel about families, which usually interest Ms. Hen, but this story seemed unbelievable to her. Her issue is with the character, David. It's never explicitly said that he has a mental illness, but he seems demented to Ms. Hen. He's sad and pathetic, and Ms. Hen wants to know why he waited so long to find his daughter, and why he stayed in St. Vincent for so long without going home.

Ms. Hen thinks that he might have undiagnosed autism, because during the era he was born, the 1940s, not a lot of diagnoses were made of that condition. It's difficult for Ms. Hen to have sympathy for this character because he is weak. He's a decent man, but she wants to tell him to get a grip on his life.

Sometimes Ms. Hen reads a novel, and she respects it, but it's not what she likes. The writing is beautiful in this book, and the idea that someone could have dreams about the future is exciting, but she thinks that what this novel lacks is drive, a reason to love this novel, which she cannot find. 

She is disgusted by David Winkler, and pities him. Even though this is a novel, Ms. Hen knows there are people in the world like this character. Nobody is perfect, but we should be inspired to be the best person we can be. This novel does not evoke this philosophy.

Ms. Hen reviews Moon of the Crusted Snow

 

Moon of the Crusted Snow

Waubgeshig Rice

ECW Press

2018

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she listened to a Halloween sci-fi books episode on a podcast from the website Bookriot. Sometimes, she listens to this, and she has always found good books to read. Ms. Hen has a tendency to read random books that fall into her lap, but she likes to seek out sci-fi books that she knows she will like.

This novel didn't seem like a Halloween novel to Ms. Hen. It felt more like a November novel, that's headed into winter. It's also fitting because the author is Indigenous, from Canada, and November is Native American Heritage Month in this country.

This novel is about a reservation community in northern Ontario. The people tend to stay there, even though not a lot of work is available; they like to stick to the area they know. The story centers around Evan and his young family, his partner, Nicole, and their two children. The satellite goes out with the Internet and the TV, and their cell phones don't work, and then the heat and electricity stop. The people try to figure out what's wrong.

Two members of the community who had been attending college in the South arrive on snowmobiles to tell everyone that the power stopped there as well, and chaos ensued. They were afraid for their lives, so they ran away. The group decides that they have to get through winter by helping each other. A strange white man comes to the village, and says he is a hunter and will help them. The tribe doesn't trust him. People are angry, and they suffer. They don't know what will happen.

This reminded Ms. Hen of a lot of books she has read about the end times, including THE ROAD, and STATION ELEVEN. This novel is different, however, because the story isn't completely hopeless, the tone of the novel throughout makes the reader think that everything will be okay in the end. Problems arise, but the community pulls together to solve them.

Ms. Hen read this novel very quickly, because she could not stop reading. It's a fantastic book to read to help a person feel better about the world: even though things seem bleak, there's always hope. The world can change, but it will still turn around, and people have to find a way to survive, and flourish, and even be happy.

Ms. Hen reviews The Dutch House

 

The Dutch House 

Ann Patchett

Harper Perennial

2019

Ms. Hen found this book at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She had never read anything by this author, but she knew her name, because it's publicized a lot on social media, and book circles, so she picked it up. She has had some bad luck with books she has randomly picked up at Little Free Libraries lately, but this was not a disappointment. In fact, Ms. Hen is sure it's one of the best books she's read this year.

This novel is about a family, told through the point of view of the son, Danny. He lives with his father and sister in a house called the Dutch House, which is a unique mansion in a suburb of Philadelphia. His father bought the house with everything inside, because the previous owner of the house had passed away. His father marries a woman named Andrea, who has two girls, and they move in to the house. Danny is close to his sister Maeve. She is seven years older than him.

Maeve and Danny's father dies suddenly, and Andrea kicks Danny out of the house, and cuts them off financially. Maeve has a job at a frozen vegetables company, but Danny is still in high school. The siblings hate Andrea for taking all their money, and everything they have. The sit outside the house at times for years, to see if they can see the family. Maeve and Danny's mother had left when they were young because she couldn't stand living in such a magnificent house.

This novel surround the house, it starts and ends with the house. The Dutch House is a character in the novel. It's unique because the previous owners worked in cigarette manufacturing during World War I, and made millions, and the outside of the house is glass, and anyone who walks by can see straight through to the backyard. Treasures fill the house, since the previous owner did not have any descendants. It's called The Dutch House because the owners were Dutch, and the street where it's located is named after the family, VanHoebeeks Street.

Complicated family relationships abound here. Danny and Maeve have nobody but each other for a long time. Danny goes to medical school because Maeve insists, but he does not want to be a doctor. He wants to work in real estate like his father. Their father left a trust for the children's education, and Maeve thinks Danny should bilk it, to get as much money as he can.

Most of the women who surround Danny are saints: they're good women who want to help the less fortunate in the world. Andrea is not like that, and neither is his wife, Celeste, but Maeve and all the other women sacrifice their lives and happiness to serve others. Danny is just like his father, always thinking of money and the future.

Ms. Hen read this novel faster than any she has read recently. The writing is so good, she could not put it down. It's about a dysfunctional family, but how they try to make things work, and live their lives. This is a beautiful novel, and Ms. Hen cannot say how much she enjoyed it, but it grabbed her, and swallowed her whole. 

Ms. Hen reviews The Once and Future Witches

 

The Once and Future Witches

Alix E. Harrow

Redhook Books/ Orbit

2021

Ms. Hen decided to read this book because she was at a bookstore in Concord Massachusetts, and saw it, and decided to buy it because she had read two other books by this author, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, and A SPINDLE SPLINTERED, and enjoyed them. She also indulged in this because she likes books about witches, and needed another Halloween book to round out her October.

This novel is about three sisters who are witches: Juniper, Agnes, and Bella, who believe they are the embodiment of the maiden, the mother, and the crone. Agnes and Bella left Juniper alone with their abusive father, and Juniper is resentful of that. Juniper goes to New Salem to find her sisters, but she is caught up in witchcraft during a suffragette demonstration in the town square.

This is historical fantasy that takes place in 1893. The sisters find each other, but they all harbor ill feelings toward one another. Agnes works at a mill, and Bella is a librarian. Agnes is pregnant, and fears for her unborn daughter. The sisters try to bring the women of the town together through witchcraft, with the spells and the stories that their mothers and aunts and grandmothers have taught them through the ages.

Ms. Hen liked this book, but at times it seemed to drag. Magic appears, but things don't seem to be magical enough, and it's like the witches are striving for magic, but never quite get to make it work correctly. And there are so many obstacles that get in their way. It took Ms. Hen a long time to read this book, possibly because she had a lot of things going on, but it seemed interminable.

One aspect of this novel that Ms. Hen found strange is that there are hardly any positive male characters. Some men are nice, but even the decent ones seem like sniveling idiots to Ms. Hen. She understands this is a feminist novel, but she thinks that doesn't have to mean it's a man-hating novel. This is historical fiction, and maybe the women in this era didn't know any sympathetic men, but she believes the attitude of the women towards the men is skewed.

Ms. Hen likes this, but it wasn't her favorite book by the author. She wants to believe in magic, but a novel like this doesn't help her dreams of becoming a witch, it only makes her think that witchcraft is something that is painful and difficult, which it shouldn't be. Ms. Hen could be a familiar to the right witch, better than a real chicken, because she doesn't complain or make a mess. Ms. Hen is ready and willing to participate in magic, but she thinks this book isn't the place to find the way.

Ms. Hen reviews The Book of Living Secrets

 

The Book of Living Secrets

Madeleine Roux

Quill Tree Books

2022

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because it was recommended to her online. She read about it, and loved the premise: it's about two girls who are swept magically into their favorite book. When Ms. Hen received this, she adored the cover right away. That might be her favorite part of the book.

This novel is about two friends, Connie and Adele, high school students in Boston. They are into the occult and otherworldly things, and their favorite book is called MOIRA, which is a bodice-ripper set in Victorian Boston. Adele wants to go to a store called The Witch's Eye Emporium to do a spell with the owner on the night of the Sadie Hawkins dance instead of attending the dance.

The spell is done, and the girls go into the book, but in different chapters. Connie gets thrust into the book in the middle, and Adele near the part of the solstice party at Moira's house. The girls have to find each other, and have a difficult time doing so. The book they land into is different from the one they read, however. It's darker, and minor characters are more prominent, such as the Penny Farthings, who are a band of criminals. A monster is in the bay, and the older people are drawn into it. Connie and Adele have to try to save everyone.

When Ms. Hen read about this novel, she was excited, but as she read it, the book became more ridiculous, and silly. She understands that it's supposed to be fantasy, but to her, it didn't make any sense. She thinks that even with fantasy, there has to be some believability to it. 

Ms. Hen didn't believe this novel, and it's difficult for her to explain that. Fiction is all made-up, but she has read other novels that she has been drawn into and the world of the piece had been created authentically. Not this novel, however.

Ms. Hen wanted this to be one of her great Halloween reads, but it wasn't. She still searches for new Halloween books to entertain her, and she'll search high and low, even when All Hallow's Eve is over, because she likes to be scared, and she dreams of worlds that she has never seen but wants to someday.

Ms. Hen reviews The Bloody Chamber

 

The Bloody Chamber 

Angela Carter

Penguin Books

1979

Ms. Hen had learned about this book when she read THE DOLL'S ALPHABET earlier this year, and she didn't read it right away, either because it wasn't available at the library, or she wanted to wait for Halloween. It was available just in time for the season! Ms. Hen couldn't wait to devour this.

This collection of short stories are all rewritten fairy tales, with a feminist, and sometimes morbid sexual twist to each one. Two different versions of "Beauty and the Beast," live in these pages, and they are both perverse and lovely. A very short rewrite of "Snow White," is here, too, and it's brief, grotesque and breathtaking. One of Ms. Hen's favorite stories is "Puss-In-Boots," a reimagining of the children's tale, an X-rated version with the little cat misbehaving, and assisting his master in his dastardly deeds.

This short collection is deceiving, because it looks very small, but all the stories are dense with imagery, and lush language. Ms. Hen understands why critics compared THE DOLL'S ALPHABET to this book, because the stories are bizarre, and unexpectedly feminist and strange. It also reminds Ms. Hen of another book she read recently, BOY, SNOW, BIRD, the reimagined Snow White novel.

THE BLOODY CHAMBER is not for the faint of heart. Beware! Anyone who reads this collection might be disgusted, and could possibly pass out from horror. It is not for the squeamish, or the faint of heart. If you are like Ms. Hen, and enjoy the darker, disturbing side of life, you will love this book! If not, read something else. Ms. Hen says Happy Halloween, and keep on reading. You can find her in the haunted house, scaring everyone away.

Ms. Hen reviews An Arrow to the Moon

 

An Arrow to the Moon

Emily X. R. Pan

Hatchett Book Group

2022

Ms. Hen picked this book up at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She knew nothing about this book, but she read the back, and learned that it is a young adult fantasy, and a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, which is the type of book she loves. The novel is also based on Chinese mythology.

Ms. Hen learned that this novel is based on the myth of Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. This is a well-known legend, but Ms. Hen had never heard of it. The astronauts in Apollo 11 landing on the moon mentioned her before they landed, and the lunar probes from China were named after Chang'e. When Ms. Hen finished this book, she watched the Netflix film, OVER THE MOON, which was based on the same myth. The film is a musical, and Ms. Hen thought it was like a Disney movie, and at times is psychedelic.

AN ARROW TO THE MOON is about Luna and Hunter, two high school students, and how they meet and fall in love, and the problems that surround them. Their families don't like each other because their fathers competed for the same professorship at the university in their town, and Luna's father got the job. A crack appears in the town when Luna and Hunter meet at a party. She doesn't want to like him, because she knows her parents don't approve, but they can't help being drawn together.

Magical things happen. Hunter's asthma is cured when he breathes Luna's breath, fireflies appear in the winter, and Hunter's brother, Cody, finds a book that has writing that changes ever time he opens it. Luna doesn't want to do what her parents want, and Hunter's family is on the run, because they owe money, and are in hiding. Like Romeo and Juliet, Luna and Hunter are star-crossed lovers.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel reminds her of other young adult fantasy, such as the Harry Potter series, but one of the things that make it different is the characters are Asian, which makes it more diverse. Issues that face Asian children are addressed in this novel, such as overbearing parents who plan their children's futures for them.

This novel is also based on mythology, but it's taken from that, and is not the identical story, which Ms. Hen thinks is charming. Ms. Hen thinks that all these stories are around somewhere, and are waiting to be found and retold again in new, unique ways.

Ms. Hen likes this novel. It's difficult for her to imagine what it's like to be a teenager these days, but this novel doesn't seem to take place in any point of time. Technology is almost nonexistent here, which Ms. Hen admires. Ms. Hen recommends this novel if you want to believe in magic, but are willing to face sadness. 

Ms. Hen reviews Josie and Jack

Josie and Jack

Kelly Braffet

Houghton Mifflin Company

2005

Ms. Hen picked this book up at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She read on the book that it is a reimagining of HANSEL AND GRETEL, and Ms. Hen loves fairy tale rewrites. She doesn't know how close it is to that fairy tale, but this book weaves its own rendering.

This novel is about Josie and Jack, who are brother and sister, and live in a big house with their father Raeburn, a college professor, and he is not home that much because the college where he teaches is far away. He leaves his children alone most of the time, and they do not go to school, because they are homeschooled. At one time their family was wealthy. They are mysterious in the town, and everyone wants to know what really goes on with them.

Raeburn is abusive to them, and the siblings drink a lot together. They are dysfunctional, and they only have each other. Their mother died when they were young. Jack leaves, and Josie is depressed without him. He comes back for her, and they run away together. Jack is charming and women love him, and he takes advantage of that. They end up in New York City.

Ms. Hen enjoyed this book, but it took her some time to get into it. It's creepy, and a lot is not said. A question hangs over this novel, and the question is not answered. Subtext is something that is not said, and it makes the reader keep reading. 

This novel is unsettling, but it works. Ms. Hen wonders if the novel would be different if the question was resolved. Josie and Jack are not good people, and it made Ms. Hen keep reading because she needed to know the outcome. 

Ms. Hen doesn't think this is very similar to HANSEL AND GRETEL, but the brother and sister run away together. Ms. Hen doesn't imagine the original fairy tale would end up like this one. Ms. Hen says that this book is strange, but worth it, if you don't mind being disgusted. Ms. Hen is a hen who likes twisted things sometimes, if she's in the right mood.

Ms. Hen reviews East, West

 

East, West

Salman Rushdie

Vintage Books

1994

Ms. Hen picked up this book because she was in a used bookstore in Portland, Maine, and was looking for a book that spoke to her. She had never read anything by Salman Rushdie, even though he is well known. He was in the news recently for getting stabbed, and Ms. Hen thinks it's horrible for a writer to live in fear because of what they write. She decided to buy this book because she was curious.

This collection of short stories contains stories about the East and the West. Ms. Hen liked some of the stories, but not all of them. She found the story, "Yurik," which is about HAMLET irritating, and she felt the same way about the story about Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella. These stories are in the "West," section.

She especially enjoyed the stories in the "East, West" section of the book, which are about the intersection of the East and the West. The story, "Harmony of the Spheres," is about an author who is unstable, and his friend from India. Ms. Hen always loves stories about people who are mentally ill. She also enjoyed, "Chekov and Zulu," because she adores anything to do with STAR TREK.

The stories in the "East," section are about people living in poverty in India. The characters in these stories have to deal with people trying to scam them, and horrible things happen. Ms. Hen felt sorry for these characters.

This book isn't like other collections of short stories. Most of the sections are shockingly different from others. Ms. Hen didn't like this. She doesn't enjoy a collection of short stories that feels like she's jumping from one universe to another. She wants to exist in the same world, where she is able to understand the view.

Some of the writing in this collection of stories is stunning, but it made Ms. Hen tired. She might like a novel from this author better, but it might be a while before one falls in her path.

Ms. Hen at the Green Hand Bookshop

Ms. Hen reviews Brood

Ms. Hen eats breakfast

 

Brood

Jackie Polzin

Doubleday

2021

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because she learned it is about chickens, and she cannot resist chicken fiction. Sometimes she loves books about chickens, and sometimes she does not. This one falls into the latter category.

This novel is about a woman who has four chickens in her backyard. She takes care of them, and she is depressed. Her husband is a writer, and he's looking for a teaching job in Los Angeles, and if he gets the job, they might have to leave the chickens in Minnesota. She is depressed because she had a miscarriage, and wanted to have the baby. She doesn't do a good job of taking care of the chickens.

Ms. Hen wanted to love this book, since it's about her favorite subject. But she found it depressing, without character and vitality. The woman, who is unnamed, is one of those women who is Sad Because She Doesn't Have Children, which Ms. Hen thinks is tiresome. She doesn't understand this desire that most women have. Maybe because she is a chicken, or because she thinks there's more to life than taking care of children, Ms. Hen can think of ten thousand things better than having a child.

This book lacks charm, which Ms. Hen thinks is one of the most important things in life. If something: a book, a person, a cat, or anything has charm, it makes experiences much more interesting. Charm can open doors, and help you to see the world in a different way. The protagonist in this novel has a bad attitude, and lacks the charm Ms. Hen appreciates and looks for in everything. 

Ms. Hen was glad this novel was short, because it was over quickly. Ms. Hen wishes that someone would write a happy and charming novel about chickens, because that would please her. Her breakfast was delicious, and that was probably the best aspect of this review.

Ms. Hen reviews Light from Uncommon Stars

 

Light from Uncommon Stars

Ryka Aoki

Tor

2021

Ms. Hen usually finds books in unconventional ways, but she found this book by listening to a science fiction podcast on the website Bookriot. She decided to search out books, rather than having them come to her. This book was featured in a podcast called "Comfort Reads in SFF." She thought it sounded intriguing, so she picked it up.

A lot is happening in this book right from the start. A woman some people call "The Queen of Hell," Shizuka Satomi, is looking for another soul to damn to hell by becoming their violin teacher. She finds Katrina Nguyen, a transgender runaway from outside of Oakland, in a park near Los Angeles. She gives Katrina her card, and leaves her, but Katrina does not come to her house for a week. 

Lan, the captain of a starship, takes over Stargate Donuts, which has a big donut on top of it. She has to create a stargate with her family and crew. Shizuka goes to Stargate Donuts, and likes the Alaska Donut, but only half, since it's so big, and she and Lan become almost friends, and feed stale donuts to the ducks in the park. Shizuka has had her soul damned by a demon, and she has to produce seven souls to him in order to play music again. She wants Katrina to be the seventh soul.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel has an excellent world building aspect to it. This takes place in present day, but focuses on violin competitions, a specialty community. It's also about immigrant culture, and transgender people. But there is science fiction aspect that is hilarious. The team of aliens living in the donut shop bring humor to this novel. STAR TREK is mentioned a few times. A lot of food and eating appears in this novel, not just at the donut shop. The characters go out to eat a lot, and the food is described in an ambrosial way.

Several chickens appear between these pages, since this book is brimming with food. Shizuka is thinking about how she writes music, and she thinks, "When you heard that hum on the way to the donut shop bathroom. When you heard chickens outside your window." Shizuka is thinking of the important parts of her life.

Ms. Hen knows that this is one of the best books she has read this year. She thinks it's surprising and funny and complicated and important. And many other things, but if you like this sort of novel, she thinks you should stop everything you're doing, and start reading this right now.

Ms. Hen reviews While Beauty Slept

Ms. Hen drinks a pumpkin cream cold brew

 

While Beauty Slept

Elizabeth Blackwell

Berkley Publishing Group

2014

Ms. Hen decided to read this book because she found it at a Little Free Library near where she lives, and she was intrigued by the title. She adores fairy tale retellings, as you may know, and she is always intrigued by SLEEPING BEAUTY stories. Many versions of this tale have been spun again and again, and she dove into this one with curiosity, and an open mind.

This novel reads like historical fiction, and it's told through the point of view of the Queen's maid, Elise. She lived with her family when she was young, and they were poor farmers. Almost her entire family died from the pox, and she went to work in the castle, which is what her mother had suggested before she passed. She started as a chamber maid, but quickly rose to be the Queen's personal maid.

Elise watched and learned; she was discreet, and did her work. She fell in love, but had her heart crushed because she felt she had a duty to the Queen and the castle. She protected Rose, the future Queen, and everyone worried about the curse that her aunt Millicent had brought on the castle when Rose was born. Elise took care of the Queen, and gave her advice when she needed it.

This novel is part historical fiction, part fairy tale retelling, and some romance. Ms. Hen kept waiting for the SLEEPING BEAUTY parts to be revealed, but they came slowly, and were anti-climactic. Ms. Hen kept saying to herself, When is she going to go to sleep? But when she did, Ms. Hen thought it was silly. This novel dragged a bit, it kept going on and on, and Ms. Hen wanted to know when it would stop. 

This novel doesn't take place in a particular country, it could be England or France or anywhere in Europe. It had its charms, and the right person would love this. Ms. Hen has a difficult time handling romance novels, because she thinks they're trite. The characters and setting are well drawn, but like Ms. Hen said the book went on too long, and the ending was odd.

Ms. Hen doesn't know if picking up books at a Little Free Library is always the best way to find books. She wants to do more research before she reads, because sometimes a free book isn't always the best. Ms. Hen likes free books, but nothing in life is truly free.

Ms. Hen in Portland, Maine

  

Ms. Hen reviews Open City

 

Open City

Teju Cole

Random House

2011

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she found it at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She didn't know anything about this book, but she saw it had good reviews, and won some awards, so she gave it a try.

This novel is about a man from Nigeria, who is a Psychiatry Resident in New York City. He is finishing his residency, and spends his free time in the city, wandering the streets. He encounters different kinds of people, and talks to some. This novel takes places around 2006, when Tower Records and Blockbuster Video were in the process of closing, due to the Internet, and Ms. Hen thinks it's an interesting time. The world was in a state of flux. The character travels to Belgium to look for his grandmother, and meditates on the Nigeria of his youth.

Ms. Hen found that this novel left a bad taste in her mouth. Critics praised it up and down, and it won major awards, but Ms. Hen did not like spending time with this character. He is an elitist, and is condescending, and Ms. Hen thinks he is a sociopath. He seems like the type of person who enjoys hearing himself talk, and will force anyone around him to listen to his pontificating about any subject he thinks he possesses knowledge on. 

Ms. Hen came to the conclusion that the critics who praised this novel vehemently are the same type of person this character is drawn out to be: pompous, snobby, and difficult to be around. Ms. Hen prefers quirky characters with personality and charm, who will make her laugh, and help her think about the world in a new way.

Ms. Hen suffered through this novel, but fortunately it is short. One takes a gamble reading something unknown, but risks have to be taken in life, or else nothing would be gained.

Ms. Hen reviews Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah

Volume 4 of In Search of Lost Time

Marcel Proust

1921

Translated from the French by John Sturrock

2002

Ms. Hen read the first three volumes of IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME years ago, before she had her blog. She read the third volume on her Kindle in France, and she didn't like reading it on her Kindle, but she enjoyed that she had the opportunity to do so in France. She decided to read volume four, because she does not like light summer reading, she believes that longer daylight calls for heavy books, since she has more energy when the sun is out.

Ms. Hen read 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, and a great quote about this book appears there:

“How about Proust's In Search of Lost Time?" Tamaru asked. "If you've never read it this would be a good opportunity to read the whole thing."

"Have you read it?"

"No, I haven't been in jail, or had to hide out for a long time. Someone once said unless you have those kinds of opportunities, you can't read the whole of Proust.”

It's a long book, and it takes time to read. But Ms. Hen doesn't think a person should read the whole thing at once.

This novel is a continuation of the last three. The narrator, in the beginning of this volume, is observing men who are attracted to men, and women who are attracted to women. The first section is a party, and it's full of snobs who insult everyone they can. Afterwards, the narrator goes to Balbec, to the seaside, and observes the girls there, and falls in love with all of them. His romantic interest, Albertine, stays at the hotel, and he thinks she is attracted to a woman. Parties occur, and the people talk about everyone they know, and who is interesting, and who isn't. The narrator wants to break up with Albertine, and is jealous of everyone who speaks with her.

This novel is densely written, and Ms. Hen had a difficult time reading it. She took a seminar with a professor years ago, and he recommended only reading two pages of this every night before bedtime, but Ms. Hen thinks that if someone did that, it would take twenty-five years to read all the volumes. Ms. Hen might not live that long! She thinks the prose is dense like layered buttercream cake, and must be consumed slowly, but deliberately, so the reader does not get a headache, or a stomachache. 

Ms. Hen believes the reason readers still love these books is because they portray people the way they truly are: brutal and petty and jealous and rotten, with selfish needs and narrow views. The narrator wants to hurt the one he loves, but he doesn't know what he truly desires. The best novels and stories do not lose their shine over time, because humanity never changes - society changes, and societal norms, but humans are always the same.

Ms. Hen will take a break before she reads the next volume. She thoroughly enjoyed this, but it's a huge chunk to chew and swallow, and the days are getting shorter now, and Ms. Hen needs to rest her feathers.  

Ms. Hen reviews Ghost World

 

Ghost World

Directed by Terry Zwigoff

2001

Ms. Hen loves GHOST WORLD. She has probably watched this film more times than any other in her life. She loves this because it's about being an artist, and seeing the world through an artist's eyes, and also not wanting to confirm to what the world expects. It's a strange film, but it's full of magic and hope.

Enid and Rebecca have just graduated from high school, and are planning on getting an apartment together. Enid has to take an art class to make up a failing grade. They decide to call a man who placed a personal ad looking for a woman he met on a bus, and they tell him to meet her at a retro 50s diner called Wowsville. 

They watch as he cringes when the woman doesn't show up at the diner. Enid and Rebecca find him at a yard sale, and Enid buys a record from him. He and Enid become friends, and she tries to find him a date. He is fussy about what he likes; he likes old jazz and old things. Enid takes an antique print he owns to her art class, and that causes a brouhaha when it's in the school art show.

GHOST WORLD is about a young woman trying to figure out who she is, and what she wants. She scoffs at conformity; she doesn't like her father's girlfriend, she and Rebecca don't get along with each other as well as they used to, and she doesn't want a regular job. She likes hanging around with Seymour, but he is a curmudgeon, and is stuck in his ways.

Enid is on the precipice of changing, and she does. She doesn't know what she desires from life, but she knows she needs something else. She views the world differently, and tries hard to express herself.

Every time Ms. Hen watches GHOST WORLD, she sees something different. One time she watched it, and realized she is similar to Enid and Seymour at the same time. This time when she watched it, she realized colors of this film pop. Ms. Hen thinks everyone should watch this film, possibly again and again.

Ms. Hen reviews A Great Storm Rising

 

A Great Storm Rising

Marty Kingsbury

Archway Publishing 

2022

Ms. Hen decided to read this young adult novel, because she met the author at a gathering, and thought it sounded like a fascinating book. Ms. Hen likes to read some young adult books for light reading once in a while. This novel is based on Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST.

A GREAT STORM RISING is about Teddy, and the situation with her father, who has a mental illness, and her brother, Adrian, who disappears with his father. Adrian is blind, and Teddy thinks her father kidnapped him. She and her mother call the police, but Teddy and her girlfriend Evvy want to take matters into their own hands.

In school Teddy's English teacher wants her to audition for the play he is directing, THE TEMPEST. He tells her he would like her to audition for the part of Ariel. Teddy is excited, even though her brother is missing. She borrows her mother's car, without permission, and picks up Evvy. They find her father and Adrian in a hunting lodge in a remote part of the woods, and a brouhaha erupts. A tree crashed behind the car so Teddy and Evvy can't leave. The next morning, Teddy's uncle Tony shows up. Teddy's father is unstable.

This novel is a mystery, a fantasy, and love story all at the same time, similar to THE TEMPEST. It's also about a family, and the difficulties they have communicating and surviving in the world. Teddy's family has moved around a lot, and her father has scared away most of her friends. Living with a mental illness is difficult and painful, and Ms. Hen imagines that if a parent has a mental illness, it can be humiliating and shameful, and dangerous for a child. In a perfect world, a parent is supposed to be a steady support, but if they're unstable, the child might believe an uneven ground is normal. But what is truly normal?

Ms. Hen likes that this novel took place in a rural area, in Western Massachusetts, and some chickens appear. Teddy dreams of a comfortable family life, "Then we would turn around and find our way back, and we'd be home in time for cocoa, and Mom would have a chicken roasting in the oven, and we'd walk in, and the whole house would smell of family and joy - until the bell rings, and it's time to go to science." She equates chicken roasting in the oven with love and joy, which Ms. Hen can understand. She loves chicken, too.

Ms. Hen knows that not everyone wants to read a young adult novel, but she thinks they're refreshing - the perspective of a young person's problems helps Ms. Hen appreciate that she's not young anymore! "O brave new world that has such people in it!" If you're youthful, but mature, the world can still be brave and new. She recommends this book.

Ms. Hen reviews Yoki Japanese Restaurant and Bar in Medford, MA

 

Yoki Japanese Restaurant and Bar

62 Station Landing, Medford, MA

https://www.yokirestaurant.com/

Ms. Hen decided to brave the hottest day of the year, and possibly ever, last Sunday 7/24 to go to Yoki Japanese Restaurant and Bar in Medford. She had gotten takeout from the restaurant before, but she had never eaten inside. Ms. Hen loves sushi! She thought it would be a good idea to have some when the weather outside was boiling.

Ms. Hen sat at a table, and the waitress was pleasant to her. She complimented Ms. Hen, and said she was cute. Ms. Hen ordered seaweed salad and Red Sox sushi. The seaweed salad was delectable, and the Red Sox sushi was so lovely, that it almost too pretty to eat, but Ms. Hen did eat it. There's a lot going on with the Red Sox sushi, and from what Ms. Hen understand the genuine sushi in Japan is not like that. But she likes a lot of flavors when she eats food, and she thought it was delicious.

Ms. Hen arrived at the restaurant for lunch, right at the beginning of the day, and the place was not crowded. It's only open for lunch on the weekends. Ms. Hen could see that Yoki could be bustling at night. There is a pleasant bar surrounded by high-top tables. Ms. Hen felt comfortable, and she wrote in her journal as she ate seaweed salad.

Ms. Hen is not a restaurant critic, she's more of a book critic, but she likes different things. She enjoyed her meal at Yoki, and she would go again. It's a little pricy, but everything is these days. It's a good treat on a hot day. Ms. Hen recommends eating delicious food, because life is short, and you only live once, most of the time...

Ms. Hen reviews Wind, Sand and Stars

 

Wind, Sand and Stars

Antoine de Saint Exupery

Harcourt, Inc.

1939

Translated from the French by Lewis Galantiere

Ms. Hen read this memoir because her rooster friend recommended it to her, since she likes Amelia Earhart, and is interested in flying. This book is by the same author as THE LITTLE PRINCE, which Ms. Hen read many years ago, and has always loved, as everyone has. Ms. Hen took this out of the library, and got ready to fly.

This book is about a young man learning to fly and work as an air mail pilot in France, first traveling to Morocco, and then South America, and attempting to fly to Asia. He describes the fear of his first job flying, whether or not he would cross the Pyrenees safely. He talks about one time when he was caught in a funnel, and the plane flew up, and he had no control, and thought he would die. He writes that when children die, it's more tragic than what he experienced.

Saint Expurey talks about how he almost perished of thirst when his plane crashed in the Sahara. He was with his navigator, and they walked in circles, trying to find someone to save them. He also describes the devastation of the Spanish Civil War, and how men turned into savages whose lives were expendable, killing innocent civilians, and putting their lives on the line for something they didn't quite understand.

He talks about how technology is supposed to bring people together, but it doesn't. When he discusses technology, he means air mail, and Hollywood movies of the 1930s, and he has no idea what technological advanced lie ahead, what we possess in our time. Ms. Hen had a discussion about this with some chickens recently, and some said that technology does bring people together, because we can communicate with people far away through Zoom. But Ms. Hen thinks that social media pulls people further apart. Everyone thinks they're communicating online, but that's not actually happening. A hen can have 500 friends on Facebook, but feel like she's alone in the world.

This book is beautifully written. Every sentence is like poetry, similar to THE LITTLE PRINCE. Reading this makes Ms. Hen wonder what Saint Exupery thought of Amelia Earhart, since they were contemporaries. She was one of the most famous people in the world when she was alive, and she did things that women didn't do in those days. July 24 would have been her 125th birthday.

Like Amelia Earhart, Saint Exupery disappeared on a flight; he went down over the Mediterranean. But he left behind books that exquisitely portray flying and the world as he saw it. To be a writer is to be able to see and hear, the same skills necessary for a pilot. He described the world in a unique, beautiful way.

Ms. Hen reviews My Family and Other Animals

 

My Family and Other Animals

Gerald Durrell

Pan MacMillan

1956

Ms. Hen decided to read this book because her rooster friend told her she should read more classics, and he recommended this. She had heard of the PBS show, THE DURRELLS OF CORFU, but she has not watched that as of yet. Ms. Hen didn't know what to expect from this book, but she found it charming.

This was a very small book. She picked it up at the library, and it was the tiniest book there. The print is miniature also, and even though the book didn't look large, it took her some time to read it.

This is a memoir about Gerald Durrell's time in Corfu, the Greek island, where he spent several years with his family when he was young. A friend mentioned to his brother Larry that the family should move to Corfu because it was beautiful. 

Young Gerry set out to collect and study the animals on the island. He had several tutors, including Theodore, who loved animals as much as he did. Gerry brought home many different species of insects, birds, turtles, and the family acquired dogs. He also talks about his family, and the pleasant times and misadventures they had together.

Many anecdotes from the family are shared, including the time Gerry brought some magpies home, which they named the Magenpies, and the birds ripped apart Larry's room, tearing his manuscript to shreds, and spilling ink, and walking around the room with ink on their feet. The Magenpies also broke into some beer right before the family was about to have a party, which Ms. Hen thought was hilarious. She didn't know birds could get drunk, which she is excited about.

The way this book presents the world is not the way we exist any longer. When Ms. Hen was young, she was not the type of child who would look at animals and collect insects and such. She imagines that some children did, but she thinks that propensity to be this way might be disappearing with the advent of technology. Why observe animals when the Internet exists? And YouTube and games, and other things to keep children distracted from the earth and the creatures who live here, too. She thinks it's sad, but she holds out hope that there might be children weird enough to do this somewhere.

Some chickens appear in this book, naturally, since it's about animals. A story about the Magenpies and how they mocked the chickens, "Another trick, out of which they got endless pleasure, was deluding the poor unfortunate flock of chickens, which spent the day scratching hopefully around the olive grove. Periodically the maid would come to the kitchen door, and utter a series of piping noises...which the hens knew as a signal for food. As soon as the Magenpies mastered the chicken-food call they worried the poor hens to decline." Ms. Hen is distressed that they poor chickens were fooled, but at the same time, she laughed at them. Magpies might be smarter that chickens, to Ms. Hen's dismay, but she's not surprised.

Ms. Hen thinks this is a pleasant summer book, thinking about animals and the earth, and the natural world which surrounds us. Ms. Hen is a backyard birdwatcher, just for pleasure, she is not an expert, but she takes pleasure in feathered friends, like herself, but more real.

Ms. Hen and a blue heron

 

Ms. Hen reviews A Natural History of Hell

A Natural History of Hell

Jeffrey Ford

Small Beer Press

2016

Ms. Hen decided to read this collection of short stories because she wanted to read another book, and the library recommended reading this one while she waited. Ms. Hen liked the title of the book, and she thought it might be like the other fantasy books she's read recently, such as BOY, SNOW, BIRD and THE DOLL'S ALPHABET.

 "The Blameless" is a story about a couple who goes to a neighbor's house to watch their daughter's exorcism, much like a christening or a confirmation party. "A Natural History of Autumn," tells the tale of a Japanese man who finds a lady for hire, and takes her to an onsen, and monsters appear. "Rocket Ship to Hell," is a story within a story about a writer who was sent to space in order to write about it, and he tells the story years later in a bar near a science fiction convention.

Ms. Hen liked this book, but it wasn't quite what she wanted. She likes to read collections of short stories that are similar to each other. Some of these stories, such as "Spirits of Salt: Tale of the Coral Heart," about a character who has a coral heart, and is intent on killing a person made of coral, which Ms. Hen would consider fantasy, didn't gel with other stories that are more magic realism, such as "Blood Drive," about a high school in which seniors are required to carry guns to school, in a near future where conservatives have taken over.

Ms. Hen liked a lot of the stories in this collection, and she might prefer to read a novel by this author, because it could be more cohesive. She has read a few books lately that she's truly enjoyed, and she keeps reaching for that ideal, but this book didn't bring her there. 

Ms. Hen reviews Boy, Snow, Bird

 

Boy, Snow, Bird

Helen Oyeyemi

Riverhead Books 

2014

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because one of the books she read recently, THE DOLL'S ALPHABET, had a blurb written by this author. Ms. Hen thoroughly enjoyed that book, and she wanted to read more like that, so she got this one from her library. Ms. Hen is fascinated by fairy tales, and retellings of them in fiction. This seems to be fashionable in literature these days.

This novel is a reimagining of SNOW WHITE, but with a complete do-over. The novel starts with the story of Boy, a young woman who lives in New York with her abusive father. She runs away to a small town in Massachusetts and starts a new life. She lives in a boarding house, and goes on lots of double dates, and eventually ends up with Arturo Whitman, who has a daughter named Snow. They get married and have another daughter whom they name Bird. Bird is born, and she is black.

Boy learns that Arturo's family has been passing for white since they came to the north. Nobody in the town knows this, but they figure it out when they see Bird. Boy is distraught at first by Bird's appearance, but she learns to live with it. The second section of the novel is told by Bird as a thirteen-year old girl. Boy hasn't told anyone in her family much about her past.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel reminds her of other fairy tale inspired books she has read recently, SPINDLE SPLINTERED, and THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, by the same author, Alix E. Harrow. It also, of course, has remnants of THE DOLL'S ALPHABET, which Ms. Hen has already mentioned.

This novel is surreal, and disjointing. It makes Ms. Hen feel uncomfortable, but she thinks that is the intent. Many characters grace these pages, and Ms. Hen got them confused at times. This is a novel about how difficult it can be to be a woman, and how race is a factor, even when it is hidden.

Ms. Hen enjoyed this novel, and was sad when she finished it. It made her think that there can be more to people than what is known, and a person shouldn't always trust their instincts. Some people can be bad, but they could be more layers to them than what appears. Ms. Hen thinks that most people aren't truly evil, just complicated.