February was the time for nonfiction audiobooks to shine, as that was my main focus when reading this past month. I learned some very interesting information from them, and it led me to finding some more research areas.
One of the books I read may even lead to a new book series that I do on here, but we’ll see what happens.
I hope you find a new read from this list!
Spy X Family Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo
Summary:
Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!
Twilight has overcome many challenges in putting together the Forger family, but now all his hard work might come undone when Yor’s younger brother Yuri pops in for a surprise visit! Can Twilight outsmart Yuri, who actually works for the Ostanian secret service?!
Review:
In this volume of one of my new favorite manga series, we get a view of how Yor interacts with her younger brother Yuri. This brings forth some interesting dynamics between the two, especially when Yor has to build the courage to kiss Loid.
Rating:
4/5
Spy X Family Vol. 4 by Tatsuya Endo
Summary:
Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!
The Forgers look into adding a dog to their family, but this is no easy task—especially when Twilight has to simultaneously foil an assassination plot against a foreign minister! The perpetrators plan to use trained dogs for the attack, but Twilight gets some unexpected help to stop these terrorists.
Review:
This was one of my favorites in the series so far. The interaction between Anya and the eventual new addition to their family. The many adventures that happen in this volume over the course of a day were entertaining and heart touching at times.
Rating:
5/5
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Summary:
It was long ago, but not as long as it seems: The Berlin Wall fell and the Twin Towers collapsed. In between, one presidential election was allegedly decided by Ross Perot while another was plausibly decided by Ralph Nader. In the beginning, almost every name and address was listed in a phone book, and everyone answered their landlines because you didn’t know who it was. By the end, exposing someone’s address was an act of emotional violence, and nobody picked up their new cell phone if they didn’t know who it was. The ’90s brought about a revolution in the human condition we’re still groping to understand. Happily, Chuck Klosterman is more than up to the job.
In The Nineties, Chuck Klosterman makes a home in all of it: the film, the music, the sports, the TV, the politics, the changes regarding race and class and sexuality, the yin/yang of Oprah and Alan Greenspan. In perhaps no other book ever written would a sentence like, “The video for ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was not more consequential than the reunification of Germany” make complete sense. Chuck Klosterman has written a multi-dimensional masterpiece, a work of synthesis so smart and delightful that future historians might well refer to this entire period as Klostermanian.
Review:
As someone who was born in the 90s, I’m sort of aware of what occurred during that decade, but more through the lens of documentaries. This book gave me a deep dive into what led to the decade and what came after.
This book had some good insights in the different essays, and the audiobook had a good setup to help me follow along with the content.
The only issue I had was that some essays seemed to meander in the middle, but it ended up coming back to the main point by the end.
Rating:
4/5
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright
Summary:
A clear-sighted revelation, a deep penetration into the world of Scientology by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the now-classic study of al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attack, the Looming Tower. Based on more than two hundred personal interviews with both current and former Scientologists–both famous and less well known–and years of archival research, Lawrence Wright uses his extraordinary investigative skills to uncover for us the inner workings of the Church of Scientology: its origins in the imagination of science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard; its struggles to find acceptance as a legitimate (and legally acknowledged) religion; its vast, secret campaign to infiltrate the U.S. government; and its dramatic efforts to grow and prevail after the death of Hubbard.
We learn about Scientology’s esoteric cosmology; about the auditing process that determines an inductee’s state of being; about the Bridge to Total Freedom, through which members gain eternal life. We see the ways in which the church pursues celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and how young idealists who joined the Sea Org, the church’s clergy, whose members often enter as children, signing up with a billion-year contract and working with little pay in poor conditions. We meet men and women “disconnected” from friends and family by the church’s policy of shunning critical voices. And we discover, through many firsthand stories, the violence that has long permeated the inner sanctum of the church.
In Going Clear, Wright examines what fundamentally makes a religion a religion, and whether Scientology is, in fact, deserving of the constitutional protections achieved in its victory over the IRS. Employing all his exceptional journalistic skills of observations, understanding, and synthesis, and his ability to shape a story into a compelling narrative, Lawrence Wright has given us an evenhanded yet keenly incisive book that goes far beyond an immediate exposé and uncovers the very essence of what makes Scientology the institution it is.
Review:
I selected this book for my reading challenge, and I had no clue what to expect from the book.
As someone who knew nothing about Scientology, except for the celebrity endorsers, this book was an eye opening experience. For a topic I knew nothing about, this was a well-written way to learn about the topic.
My main issue with the book came from Part 1, due to the extremely long chapters. However, once we get past that point, the information becomes easily digestible.
I highly recommend watching the documentary that was created after the publication of this book, as it provides the basic information needed to allow for this book to become even more engaging.
Rating:
4/5
Crema by Johnnie Christmas
Summary:
Esme, a barista, feels invisible, like a ghost…. Also, when Esme drinks too much coffee she actually sees ghosts.
Yara, the elegant heir to a coffee plantation, is always seen, but only has eyes for Esme.
Their world is turned upside down when the strange ghost of an old-world nobleman begs Esme to take his letter from NYC to a haunted coffee farm in Brazil, to reunite him with his lost love of a century ago. Bringing sinister tidings of unrequited love.
Review:
I loved the premise of this story and the art style that supported it. When I began reading it, I was instantly mesmerized and hooked.
My main disappointment was that I wanted to see the main character’s power used more, and I think the main couple fell in love too quickly.
Rating:
4/5
A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury
Summary:
As any listener or reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring – and popular – weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?
In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes – some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved – are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.
Drawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins to show how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. From the deadly origins of the gin and tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom, ‘A TASTE FOR POISON’ leads listeners on a riveting tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive – or don’t.
Review:
This was a fascinating read on different types of poisons. As someone who reads a lot of murder mysteries, I enjoyed the inclusion of how it has been used in fictional cases, as well as real world cases.
Even though science is not my strongest subject, everything related to chemistry and biology was explained in an easily digestible manner.
Rating:
5/5
Love Attack Vol. 1 by Shizuru Seino
Summary:
The roughest guy and girl in school are in love. Hilarity ensues as they try to make their romance work but cant help getting into senseless trouble.
Review:
I picked this book as a short read for Valentine’s Day, and it definitely showcased some of those classic romance tropes found in manga like this. At times it was cringy, and other times it had some sweet moments.
Rating:
3/5
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke
Summary:
A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour.
It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American woman, an actress no less. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forges on. They build a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopt at birth. Eventually, they reconcile with Saro’s family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will consume all their dreams.
From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family and his origins, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother in law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s incredible romance—an indelible love story that leaps off the pages.
Review:
After seeing part of the limited series based on this book, I was interested in reading this. This worked as it fits with one of my reading challenge topics.
Overall, this memoir was moving and heart touching. Hearing what life was like for her during the different stages of life with her husband and after his death was enlightening.
However, the main downside was that due to the organization of the book, I was unable to get a good glimpse of her life with her husband. The book focuses more on life after his death. Because of this, I do lose some connection with her retelling of the story.
Rating:
4/5
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker
Summary:
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé uses political and pop-cultural references as a framework to explore 21st century black American womanhood and its complexities: performance, depression, isolation, exoticism, racism, femininity, and politics. The poems weave between personal narrative and pop-cultural criticism, examining and confronting modern media, consumption, feminism, and Blackness. This collection explores femininity and race in the contemporary American political climate, folding in references from jazz standards, visual art, personal family history, and Hip Hop. The voice of this book is a multifarious one: writing and rewriting bodies, stories, and histories of the past, as well as uttering and bearing witness to the truth of the present, and actively probing toward a new self, an actualized self. This is a book at the intersections of mythology and sorrow, of vulnerability and posturing, of desire and disgust, of tragedy and excellence.
Review:
Unfortunately, I once again did not connect with Parker’s collection of poetry. While there were a few that stood out to me, such as the one on how Black women are viewed, for the most part, I easily lost interest in the collection of poems.
Rating:
2/5
Luna's Literary Corner 