When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

 

Reviewed by Kristin

If we could package John Scalzi’s sense of humor, I think we might solve all world problems.

In this case, the world does have a big problem. Or the moon has a big problem, which is causing humans a big problem. The moon is suddenly larger and brighter in the sky than it should be. Moon rocks in museums and labs all over the world have changed consistency, and the scientists will only say that they appear to be made of some kind of biological matter. Pretty soon someone takes a sniff, then a taste, and finds that the moon is made of . . . cheese.

The decades since someone landed on the moon have been frustrating, and astronauts have been preparing a trip back to the lunar surface. But if it’s cheese, is it safe? Is it gooey or stringy or shredded or grated?

This tale takes us through exactly one lunar cycle, told through many characters’ points of view. Scientists, kids, billionaires, college students, and politicians all have their opinions and intentions when it comes to finding out exactly what has happened to the moon. From hijacking a rocket to literally howling curses at the moon, this wild romp kept me turning pages long after I should have been asleep.

I guess Scalzi’s books are little packages of his humor, and I know that I can always count on them to make me smile. Scalzi writes space epochs, private investigators, pop culture satires, scathing political commentaries, and so much more. Plus, he loves cats. That is all I really need to know.

The #1 Dad Book: Be the Best Dad You Can Be—in 1 Hour by James Patterson

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Just in time for Father’s Day, which is probably NOT a coincidence, James Patterson has a little book of advice about how to, well, be the best dad you can be.  It’s both a light-hearted and serious look at the best way to parent.  Patterson says not every suggestion will work for every parent, but he does give easy tips and things to think about.  It’s like having a nice chat with someone whose been there, done that, and here are the highlights of what he’s learned.

One tip I thought was interesting was the suggestion to talk to male friends about being a dad.  Patterson points out that men talk about all sorts of things from business to sports when they get together, but it’s also good to be able to talk about parenting—even if it’s just to vent.  There might be a new perspective from other fathers dealing with the same thing.

Another one I liked was about choosing a name for offspring which involved saying the name out loud many times to decide if it’s really a name that you like, day in and day out, in joy and in frustration. 

He also lists books on parenting and explains why he chose these particular titles.

The book is sprinkled with quotes from fathers, mostly not famous ones, which give insights or tips. 

Finally, he has 17 items on a checklist of things to look at and think about, distilled from the book.  He doesn’t expect everything will work for every dad, but if even a few of these resonate then the time spent with this book will be worth it.

I liked the friendly tone of the book and the simple suggestions.  There were a number of things worth thinking about and not just for parents: some of them are just ideas for human beings.

Nevermore: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Ride of Her Life, Desert Rose

 Nevermore 5/13/25

Reported by Rita

 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

This 1969 autobiography captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right.

The audiobook read by Maya Angelou is phenomenal! While parts of her story are painful to hear, her words and voice are powerful.   - HM    5 stars

 

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

The incredible true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean.

It was amazing the amount of help she received from strangers along the way. A really interesting story.     - MH     4 stars

 

Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King by Edythe Scott Bagley

Desert Rose details Coretta Scott King's upbringing in a family of proud, land-owning African Americans with a profound devotion to the ideals of social equality and the values of education, as well as her later role as her husband's most trusted confidant and advisor.

Filled with moving photos and stories. Worth reading.    AH   - 5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned:

 

Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Kurt W. Beyer

Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Sunpath by Michael Maryk

Cats of the World by Hannah Renâe Shaw

The Easiest Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Seniors by Mary Ellsworth

Ellis Island & Other Stories by Mark Helprin

Phantom Islands of the Atlantic: The Legends of Seven Lands That Never Were by Donald S. Johnson

The Cartographers: A Novel by Peng Shepherd

My Name is Eva by Suzanne Goldring

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Black Spectacles by John Dickson Carr

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q Sutanto

The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium, an Englishman's World by Robert Lacey

 

New Books:

 

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Ornithography: An Illustrated Guide to Bird Lore & Symbolism by Jessica Roux

TVA Photography, 1963-2008: Challenges and Changes in the Tennessee Valley by Patricia Bernard Ezzell

The Paranormal Ranger: A Navajo Investigator’s Search for the Unexplained by Stanley Milford, Jr.

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Stanley Milford, Jr. was born to a Navajo father and Cherokee mother who divorced when he was a child.  Growing up, his life was divided between living with his mother in Oklahoma and with his father’s family on the Navajo Reservation.  He never learned to speak Navajo but learned the traditional stories, folklore, and beliefs.  He had an interest in law enforcement from a young age, so becoming a Navajo Ranger was in many ways a dream come true. 

Navajo Rangers aren’t strictly law enforcement; their duties are wide-ranging and may include anything from inspecting stock to joining a manhunt to investigating reports of unusual creatures or activity.  The latter investigations increasingly fell to Milford and his fellow Navajo Ranger, Jon Dover.  Many such reports were dismissed by the police and other authorities, but Milford had a commanding officer who felt even these seemingly off-kilter cases should be examined to show the community that their concerns were being taken seriously.

That is one of the major themes running through the book: treating people with respect and not belittling their experiences or accounts. Sometimes the things they investigated could be proved to have a non-supernatural explanation, such as a woman who kept hearing odd noises and finding strange bundles of twigs around her home; others were much more elusive.  Milford himself had some inexplicable experiences, so he has a great deal of empathy for victims.  He also set high standards for the investigations, laying out procedures to be followed just as he would for a more mundane investigation. He also began working with others who had experience in the paranormal world, such as MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) in order to get more expertise.

The book is as much about life on the reservation as it is about the paranormal, which is a plus as far as I’m concerned.  As someone who read all the Tony Hillerman books, I was aware of some of the tribes’ beliefs (the area is also home to other tribes, such as Hopi and Zuni) as well as conditions, but Milford’s vivid accounts made it all feel very real. There are few Rangers in a vast area; the terrain can be difficult to travel; and people often live isolated lives.  Milford also retells some of the Navajo stories about creation and explains a bit of their belief system about skinwalkers, ghosts, and other beings.  Some of these more or less fit into Navajo traditions; others less so. 

I liked Milford’s measured approach to the unknown.  He sometimes speculates about some of the phenomena for which he has no explanation but doesn’t try to come to definitive conclusions.  His approach is open but with a healthy dose of skepticism, though no matter what he concludes, he respects those who tell the stories.  I also like the way his descriptions make the reader feel as if they are right there with him in the heat and the scratchy vegetation.

In short, I quite enjoyed this account.

What Does It Feel Like? By Sophie Kinsella

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Evie Monroe is a best-selling novelist who has it all, including a case of writer’s block. She’s bored with the book she’s writing when all at once she decides to take her own advice to would-be authors:  write what you know, and write the book you want to read. Immediately she knows what she wants to write and the words just burst forth into her biggest selling novel yet, one optioned for a movie.  It’s a dream.

And then Eve wakes up in a hospital, not sure why she’s there or how long she’s been there.  Her devoted husband Nick is there and says he has been all along. Her children are being taken care of by their grandparents. There was an operation for a brain tumor.  Eve is going to have to relearn a lot of things, and Nick will be by her side.

The advice Eve gives is also the advice Sophie Kinsella takes in this short novel. In 2022, Kinsella was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma. She underwent surgery to remove the tumor and has since been undergoing treatment. As she explains in the afterward, this is not her memoir but it is her story. And what a story it is:  courageous, tender, loving, and against the odds, hopeful.  I found it to be both moving and uplifting; treating the story as fictional allows a distance for author and reader to connect in a way that’s personal but not intrusive. It’s very much a love story, but not really a tearjerker. It’s gently amusing, and gently thoughtful, dealing with questions we tend to avoid. 

This was a lovely book and deserves the accolades it has received. I know I will be recommending it to others.

Nevermore: Black Bird Oracle, Happy-Go-Lucky, Chicken Soup for the Soul

 Nevermore 4-29-25  Reported by Rita

 

The Black Bird Oracle: A Novel (#5 in All Souls Series) by Deborah Harkness

When the Congregation demands she and Matthew test the magic of their 7-year-old twins, Oxford scholar and witch Diana Bishop forges a different path. She confronts her family's dark past and reckons with her desire for even greater power—if she can let go of her fear of wielding it.

Not my favorite book in the series, but it ties up loose ends. It's a really good read.     - MH     4 stars

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

The best-selling author offers a new collection of satirical and humorous essays that chronicle his own life and ordinary moments that turn beautifully absurd, including how he coped with the pandemic, his thoughts on becoming an orphan in his seventh decade, and the battle-scared America he discovered when he resumed touri

9 out of 5 stars! This was touching and funny. Absolutely great!     - CD     5 stars  

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Laughter's Always the Best Medicine: 101 Feel-Good Stories by Amy Newmark

Chicken Soup for the Soul's first-ever humor collection, including stories from spouses to parents to children to colleagues and friends that tell about their own mishaps and those most embarrassing moments.

The stories are very happy, funny, and good, but some felt a little repetitive.     - MS     4 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

Make Me by Lee Child

A Woman Who Went to Alaska by May Kellogg Sullivan

Moment in Peking by Yutang Lin

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

Boom!: Talking About the Sixties: What Happened, How it Shaped Today, Lessons for Tomorrow by Tom Brokaw

Ernie's War: The Best of Ernie Pyle's World War II Dispatches by Ernie Pyle

Sunpath by Michael Maryk

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage

Living in the Light by Deepak Chopra

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin

Against the Wind by J. F. Freeman

 

New Books

 

Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher

King of the North: Martin Luther King's Life of Struggle Outside the South by Jeanne Theoharis

New Books for June!

June

Abbot, Megan  El Dorado Drive

Armstrong, Kelley  Writing Mr. Wrong

Battles, Brett  Stuart Woods’ Finders Keepers

Brennan, Allison  Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds

Burke, James Lee  Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie

Carr, Jack  Cry Havoc

Castle, Jayne  It Takes a Psychic

Coble, Colleen  Where Secrets Lie

Constantine, Liv  Don’t Open Your Eyes

Cosby, S.A.  King of Ashes

Freeman, Dianne  A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder

Harmel, Kristin  The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau

Housewright, David  Them Bones

Jackson, Lisa  It Happened on the Lake

Jewell, Lisa  Don’t Let Him In

Johansen, Iris  Death Mask (Eve Duncan)

Khavari, Kate  A Botanist’s Guide to Rituals and Revenge

King, Laurie   Knave of Diamonds (Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes)

Lamb, Wally  The River is Waiting

Lippman, Laura  Murder Takes a Vacation

Novak, Brenda  The Summer That Changed Everything

Patterson, James & Clinton, Bill The First Gentleman

Preston & Child  Badlands (Nora Kelly)

Reid, Taylor Jenkins Atmosphere:  A Love Story

Rosnay, Tatiana De  Blonde Dust

Sager, Riley  With a Vengeance

Schellman, Katharine  Last Dance Before Dawn

Shalvis, Jill  The Love Fix

Smith, Martin Cruz  Hotel Ukraine (Renko)

Steel, Danielle  A Mother’s Love

Stiefvater, Maggie The Listeners

Swanson, Peter  Kill Your Darlings

Thayne, RaeAnne  The Lost Book of First Loves

Weaver, Ashley  One Final Turn  (Electra McDonnell)

White, Randy Wayne  Tomlinson’s Wake  (Doc Ford)