November

Jump by Larry Miller, 2022

A compelling autobiography that proves it is never too late to turn your life around, Jump tells the story of Larry Miller's early involvement with gangs while growing up in Philadelphia. Well, perhaps it is too late now... 

Part of Miller's redeption includes earning his GED in college as well as receiving training as a software engineer and getting paid to work as a software engineer while serving out his sentece for murder and armed robberies. These rehabilitation programs are no longer offered in many penitenceries, something Miller highlights and pleads to put back in place.

Miller talks about his headaches and constant nightmares about has past as he gets promoted through the ranks at Campbell Soup, Jantzen, Nike, Portland Trailblazers, and Jordan Brand/Nike.

A few intersting notes:

* Miller is able to transition companies without a background check. It shows how muhc of success in business is tied to networking: He was hired by references and word of mouth rather any formal vetting process.

* Miller started off in Accounting before transitioning to Operations/COO before becoming President/Chairman of Portland Trailblazers and Jordan Brand respectively. Ultimately, running a company is about numbers/requires knowing your numbers. 

* A vision is important to be a leader. When Miller joined Nike, he pushed for apparel to match with the shoes. This initial forray into fashion laid the foundation in the billion dollar industry that is athleisure ware today.

* Miller was also able to make hard decisions. Firing people who would not align with where he needed the company to go, pushing to have the business side of basketball work with the operations/sports side of basketball (e.g. the head coach) at the Trailblazers. The latter example also shows the importance of teamwork and building a cohesive leadership team.

Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok, 2019

A story about a Tsoisonese-American woman who grew up in the Netherlands, this book was recommended by a co-worker after my return from a reent trip to Amsterdam.

A thriller with cliched characters, the story is told from the vantage point of the missing Sylvie Lee, her American sister Amy and their mother. 

The story centers around Sylvie, who grew up with her Dutch cousin Lukas and his parents Helena and Willem. 

Sylvie's grandmother was also brought into Helena and Willem's household to help raise Sylvie as Sylvie's parents in America were unable to care for her.

As meek Amy travels to the Netherlands in attempts to retrace Sylvie's last steps, she unravels the facade of Sylvie's 'perfect' life, including her childhood.

The book dragged a bit but did provide insight into Dutch culture. There is a straightforwardness to the Dutch and quirks such as keeping their curtains open as to note that they have nothing to hide. 

Despite it being a liberal and welcoming county to immigrants, there is also racism with a children's song mocking the Chinese and pulling slanty eyes gestures.

Their language (and culture) though, is neither whimsical, quirky or insightful as the French, Japanese and Indian languages can be respectively. 

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy, 2022

A compelling read, I took so many notes. Kennedy's basic premise is that children are good inside and if we remember this, we realize (bad) behaviors are due to emotional disregulation and if we address the deregulation, the good behavior will follow.

This is a switch from the reward charts (where behaviors are rewarded) to address parenting a child's actions and behaviors.

The biggest take away for me is that when a child is engaging in bad behavior (throwing a tantrum, not doing what is asked), that a parent needs to connect to the child first, and then work with the child on the desired behavior.

This take-away spills over to the high school students I now interact with at my new job. Even the kids who are disrespectful and break the rules, I remind myself that they are good inside and focus on how to connect with them.

Part of me is conflicted by the thought that sometimes a child needs to do what is being asked, regardless of whether the child wants to or if the child feels connected. 

Overall though, the tips on connection are something I take to heart and have proven to be successful with my 10-year-old daughter. A particular favorite now is to hug my daughter until her Mom-o-Meter is filled to defuse potential conflict.

Another take-away is that when we think of breaking parenting dramas that have been passed down, it does not start with our children, but with ourselves. So if I want my daughter to be more self-assured in her identity, I need to be more self-assured in mine and modeling this for her.

I do remember my friends discussing this book when it first came out since it there was a lot of buzz about it. My daughter was a toddler then and behaving 'well' so not something that caught my attention.

October

the yellow house: Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles by Martin Gayford, 2006

After visiting the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, I was all about learning more about van Gogh. I found this book at the English Book Shop in Amsterdam and it is a deep dive into the 2 months that Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin spent together in Arles.

Van Gogh had settled in a yellow house in Arles, with the idea to create an artist studio where artists could collaborate and paint together.

Gauguin, a client of van Gogh's art dealer brother Theo, took up van Gogh's offer and after weeks of anticipation, arrived in the sleepy southern town of Arles.

Both prolific letter writers, Gayford pieces together the initial harmony and shared artist life that van Gogh and Gauguin built together in Arles, before van Gogh started having a spell and frightening Gauguin, who eventually fled Arles.

The book is filled with van Gogh's paintings and does a deep dive into the many famous works painted during and after his time in Arles. 

It was frustrating that the photos were in black and white given the way van Gogh's mastery of color and his way of conveying emotions through colors. Something I mentioned quite a few times to my husband. 

Thoroughly researched with details on the cafes and prostitutes that the artists visited, the yellow house is is filled with details for those who are truly interested in either van Gogh and Gauguin. 

I doubt that I would have been able to finish the book before visiting the museum and becoming inspired by van Gogh's works.

The Tennis Partner: A Doctor's Story of Friendship and Loss by Abraham Varghese, 1998

Abraham Varghese is a beautiful writer. I read Cutting for Stone decades ago and was captivated by his writing. Before writing fiction, Varghese wrote non-fiction books, including The Tennis Partner.

Tennis Partner reflects on Varghese's move to El Paso, TX where he befriends an intern. With his marriage falling apart and in a new city, Varghese turns to an intern for companionship.

The intern is David, an Australian who was briefly on the professional tennis circuit before turning to medicine.

Varghese discovers that David is a recovering cocaine addict, sober for two years and re-admitted into the Texas Tech internship program despite crashing out earlier due to his addictions.

Fresh from rehab and struggling with being back in an environment with haunted memories from the bridges he burned as an addict, David also seeks companionship.

One of Varghese's talents is writing complicated medical terms in simple language. Despite the highly clinical content, a non-clinician can still follow the emotion of the story. 

Filled with lessons about addiction, mainly that David is responsible for David, that we can not force or influence others to behave in a certain way. This was freeing considering my tendancies to take over and control, problem-solving problems as I see them.

Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning of American West by Kelly Ramsey, 2025

Kelly Ramsey is a bad ass. She trained intesively (hiking, lifting weights) to join the Rowdy Rivers Hotshots firefighting crew. 

Once she made the team, the hard work really starts. Despite her best efforts, she is one of the weakest and slowest on the crew of men, which frustrates her.

As the only female, she needs to handle having her period and finding a place to pee when the team is out in a flat field with no trees.

She starts to become part of the Hotshot crew as the team realizes her grit. She never gives up, volunteers to carry a heavier load and soon finds herself accepted by the team.

Intertwined with her troubled childhood growing up with an alcoholic father, Ramsey grows up as an insecure woman but finds solace in nature and her strength in challenging and pushing herself to become a Hotshot firefighter. 

A good example of a picture is worth a thousand words, a diagram of the firefighting gear  (Nomex yellow shirt & green pants) and tools (Pulaski ax, chainsaw, Fiver to carry five gallons of water) is included to provide a sense of the challenges of being a Hotshot firefighter.

September Reads

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, 2021

I had started this book a few years ago, but could not get into it. After reading Doerr's Pulitzer Prize winning All The Light We Cannot See though, I knew I wanted to give this book another go.

It did not disappoint. Intertwining characters this time around are spread through different centeries: Anna of Constantinople and Omeir, a village boy with a cleft lip in the 15th Century; Korean War hero Zeno and Seymour in Idaho durin gthe 21st Century; and Konstance in the future.

With the same compelling stories, emotional depth and vivid worlds created in his previous novel, Doerr adds a few twists to connect the characters across the centuries.

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, 1915

Ever since reading The House of Doors over a year ago, I have wanted to read a Somerset Maugham book since I have never read anything by him.

A keen observer of human behavior, Maugham writes truth so keenly. His language is simple, wry and humorous. 

Of Human Bondage is a story of Philip Carey, loosely based on the author, whose parents also died young, became a doctor and most distinguishing, was born with a club foot.

The novel is long at 600+ pages. There were points when I wished the novel was shorter but by the time I got to the end, I wished it was longer.

Carey is sent to live with his vicar uncle, who is cold and harsh, in Blackstable. He is sent to a public school where he is bullied and embarrassed by his club foot. Despite his strong academic performance, he insists on spending a year in Germany instead of competing for a scholarship to Oxford.

He questions his decision before he is to leave for Germany, but due to youth stubbornness, commits to his decision and moves to Germany.

Without university, Carey is directionless and through Hayward, an Englishman Carey befriends in Germany who speaks of the beauty of Paris, Carey decides to move to Paris and attempt to be an artist. 

His Parisian years are filled with adventure and friends. There are many tortured souls and limited funds amongst the artist friends, but Carey thrives in the conversations and comraderie.

Realizing that he is not talented enough to become an artist, he moves back to England where he pursues a medical degree like his father. At St Luke in London, Philip makes new friends and leaves behind the artist life of beauty and debate.

He finds his calling as a doctor and his studies are going well. A fellow student named Dunsford befriends Philip and tells him about a waitress named Mildred, whom he has a crush on.

Soon, Philip finds himself going to the diner where Mildred works and eating at her table. A one-sided relationship ensues where Philip splurges on theater tickets to take Mildred out and dutifully walks her home.

Philip is crushed when Mildred informs him that she is marrying a suitor and despite his heart breaking, he continues his studies and manages to build a content life for himself, filled with friends and even dating a Norah, introduced to him through a friend.

Things are turned upside down when Philip runs into Mildred. Mildred never married as her suitor was already married. She does have a child with the man though, and finds comfort in Philip, who financially supports her and her child.

Philip is devastated when Mildred and his close friend and fellow medical student Griffiths have an affair. He cuts both out of his life and focuses on his studies. He befriends patient Thorpe Athelney and makes a routine to stop by the Athelney household every Sunday for tea.

As Philip has rebuilt his life, he runs into Mildred. She is destitute, resorting to selling her body in attempts to support herself. Although Philip is no longer infatuated with Mildred, he takes her and her baby into his househould and hires her to replace his maid and chef.

When Mildred realizes that Philip is no longer in love with her, she rages and destroys everything in his posession. The misfortunes continue as Philip runs out of money for medical school. He appeals to his uncle for funds, but his uncle, still incensed that Philip spent his funds and time in Paris to become an artist, refuses to provide additional funds.

Philip is forced to drop out of medical school and loses his apartment. His only solace is the Athelney's on Sundays. He is forced to sleep in the rough and when Thorpre realizes Philip's situation, arranges Philip for an interview as a shop boy.

The work is tedious and pay low. Philip shares a room with other shop boys. He is miserable and even finds himself wishing his unclde would pass away so that he can inherit funds from his uncle so that he can quit his job and continue with his medical education.

Philip eventually becomes a doctor and realizes what he has been yearning for after so many directionless years. I could not help but cheer for him by the end of the novel.

Some of my favorite passages from the story:

Enthusiasm was ill-bred. Enthusiasm was ungentlemanly. They thought of the Salvation Army with its braying trumpets and its drums. Enthusiasm meant change. They had goose-flesh when they thought of all the pleasant old habits wiich stood in imminent danger. They hardly dared to look forward to the future.

- In reference to Mr. Perkins, the new headmaster for King's School at Tercanbury, where clergy sent their sonds.

This exchange reminds me of an exchange with my English husband:

'I say, I want you to com and see anohter play with me,' he [Philip] said.
'I don't mind,' she [Mildred] said. 
'You might go so far as to say you'd like to.'
'Why?'
'It doesn't matter. Let's fix a day, Would Saturday night suit you?'
'Yes,' that'll do.'

The following from Philip sums up my philosophy:

'Well, I can't say anything about other people. I can only speak for myself. The illusion of free will is so straong in my mind that I can'g et away from it, but I believe it is only an illusion. But it is an illusion which is one fo the strongest motives of my actions. Before I do anything I feel that I have choice, and that influces what I do; but aftewars, then the thing is done, I believe that it was inevitable from all eternity.'

'What do you deduce from that?' asked Hayward.

'Why, merely the futility of regret. It's no good crying over spilt milk, because all the forices of the universer were bent on spilling it.'

And the following, so true (about his friend Hayward):

It was one of the queer things of life that you saw a person ever day for months and were so intimate with him that you could not imagine existence without him; then separation came and everything went on in the same way, and the companion who had seemed essential proved unneccessary.

August

 All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, 2014

Beautifully written, All The Light We Cannot See is about Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind french girl who lives with her adoring father, a locksmith for Museum of National History in Saint-Malo, France.

To ensure his daughter is able to navigate the city, Monsiour LeBlanc carves buildings with intricate compartments and secret doors to create a mini replica of the city that his daughter can memorize through touch.

The novel also centers around Werner Pfennig, a German orphan whose skill in fixing transitors allows him to escape e a life in the mines, where his father was killed. 

He and his little sister Jutta listen to contraband broadcasts from around the world to escape their bleak life.

Their stories are compelling and draw you in from the beginning. As World War II rages, we discover the connection these two peopel have.

When I read long novels with mulitple story lines and characters, I tend to forget the details and references that occur a few chapters later. 

However, with Doerr's concise and vivid writing, the details were memorable and I was able to make connections and recall references.

Original and breathtaken, filled with memorable characters like Frank Volkheimer, Werner's fellow Nazi soldier; Etienne, Marie-Laure's great-uncle who fears leaving his house; and Von Rumpel, a German precious stones expert on the trail of the legendary Sea of Flames.

July

The Expat by Hansen Shi, 2024

A digitial/knowledge esponiage thriller that reflects today's world, The Expat is an entertaining story that captures the experiences in America of Asians who are born here as well as those who emigrate here from China.

Michael Wang is a disenfranchsed Princeton graduate working on autonomous driving technology. His research and attempts to get management's attention is overlooked. 

He suspects that he is not managing up correctly, but continues to focus on the breakthrough technology he is working on.

Friends like his former classmate Lawrence have the ability to fit into the 'white' world while Michael gets lost and struggles with his identity.  

He meets Vivian on Samarkand, a hacking website, and is introduced to her uncle Bo, who connvinces him to join an automous driving technology firm in China, runnng the division. At last, Michael's ideas and work are being recognized and rewarded.

When Michael moves to China though, Vivian can no longer be found. His job does not seem to exist. Michael is soon entangled with the FBI and works with Ferris Guo, a handler who is a Chinese American English teacher. 

An enjoyable book highlighting an Asian American male experience, I would recommend The Expat.

Hope by Andrew Ridker, 2023

I picked up Hope after browsing at the library since it was set in Brookline, MA. It's always enjoyable to read about places that I know. 

It also allows me to imagine the characters clearer as they navigate familiar places.

Hope is about the Greenspans. 

Scott is cardiologist with his own practice. Stay at home mom Deb undergoes an awakening after being a dedicated Mom to daughter Maya and son Gideon, with her life orbiting around her children.

The picture perfect Brookline family starts to fall apart when Scott cuts some corners at work to pay for his overbearing mom's retirement home.

Deb awakens to freedom in the arms of a woman. Maya's high school crush, former teacher William re-enters her life with a twist in the end as he tries to get his book published.

Gideon is lost when he questions his desire to follow his father's footsteps as a Columbia pre-med. 

Of the stories, Maya's coming of age is the most interesting. Gideon's the most drastic as he joins a youth trip to Israel and befriends war photographer Ernie Power.

Deb's story has elements of the grass is greener on the other side while Scott faces his demons (his mother) and starts a more true and meaningful routine including as a volunteer physician at a jail. 

Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream by Megan Greenwell, 2025

I have known that Private Equity is evil for a few years now. They are focused on short-term profits and not looking to build anything or invest in anything or anyone.

What I did not realize until reading this book is how little risk private equity companies take on. The millions and billions to purchase a company is saddled back to the company, not the private equity firm.

The firm gets to enjoy the proceeds from management fees, selling off real estate that retail or healthcare companies own while renting it back to the company for a fee. 

The original company clearly loses out on this type of deal while the private equity firm(s) will make literally millions.

The millions and billions keep growing though and the 1% get even more unfathomably wealthy while industries, companies and SO many people are left poorer and must worse off.

Private equity is truly killing the American dream. In addition to wringing money out of the poor, private equity continues to get involved in new industries to make their millions, leaving industries decimated.

Bad Company follows four people and how their lives have been impacted by private equity. 

Liz works at Toys R' Us, represening how private equity will drive retail outlets to the ground. Even for stores that are performing well, Toys R' Us will not invest in any of the stores, letting them go out of business while profiting millions.

Roger is a physical at a small rural hospital in Riverton, Wyoming. How private equity has decimated rural hospitals by cutting budgets was highlighted a few years ago. 

After private equity has taken over Roger's hospitals, staffing has been cut and whole departments (like obstetrics) have been cut while informing the community that they are in search of an OBGYN to provide delivery services again.

Riverton residents must drive 30 minutes to another hospital to deliver a baby or for other services. Yet, in the winter, the road out of Riverton is not able to be traversed. Private equity is ruthless, making decisions on care for towns and people whom the executives have nothing visited, much less spoken to.

Natalia is a journalist. Private equity has killed off many local newspapers, leaving a dearth of news and accountability for communities, leading to increased fraud and misconduct. 

Many newspapers are now filled with generic wire stories instead of local news since paying for reporter is much more expensive than copy and pasting stories.

Loren lives in an apartment complex owned by private equity. The ruthless cost-cutting is the most heartbreaking when dealing with housing. Many impacted are lower income residents who are unable to afford to purchase a house or have a voice.

Apartment repairs are delayed, rodent issues are ignored. There is no emergency contact as Loren finds out when a pipe bursts and floods her and her neighbors' apartments. For millionaires to make money off of lower income people is truly horrendous.

Private equity has also gone into mobile home parks. The greed and lack of emphathy is just incredible.

People have fought back and Congress has proposed legislation to scale back the loopholes that allow private equity firms to ruthlessly make billions, but private equity has deep lobbying pockets for both Republican and Democratic leaders.

There are victories here and there against private equity once a community gets involved, but they are few. 

The company I worked with went through a few private equity hands. And, I profited from the change of hands each time with generous bonuses. Others were not as lucky as their positions were eliminated shortly after each acquisition.

Despite being a part of the evilness, I stayed with my company, getting promoted and collected bigger paychecks and bonuses. It finally got to be too much and I gave notice. 

I worry what the economy will look like for my daughter and hope a tipping point is coming up.

By The Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight For Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle, 2024

How we have treated, and continue to treat, Native Americans is shameful. 

Our government forcibly moved Native Americans from their land, slaughtered those who refused to move and continue to repress these people.

It goes beyond prejudice. 

I had no idea of the systemic lies that were told, and continue to be told, to take away from the Native American leaving them destitute and barely able to survive.

What is even more shameful is that the every aspect of power - whether governmental, judicial or societal - participated in the repression and illegal taking away of land for personal gain. 

And, this maltreatment continues to be reinforced even to this day. Lies and misinformation are spread by the people in leadership positions like the Governor of Oklahoma. These lies are then parrotted by Supreme Court Justices

Nagle's extensive reporting covers histories, bills, legal language, and humna interest. She includes black and white photos of the people she writes about, which add a very real face to the injustices that are brought against Native Americans.

With her engaging writing, even the dry details of the law and its nuance makes for interesting reading.

The book centers around the story of Patrick King, of Muscogee blood, who appeals his death sentence for for the murder of George Jacobs by arguing that the murder took place on the Muscogee reservation; therefore, the state of Oklahoma's punishment of a death penalty should not be upheld.

Ruling in King's favor recognizes the Muscogee (or Creek) reservation, as well as the reservations of the other Five Tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Chickasaw. This is a major telling of the truth as states have claimed the land for themselves.

Despite the legal victory, the injustices against Native Americans and what truly belongs to them remain unrecognized. There is simply too much money spent by those who benefit from the stolen land (like the oil industry) for there to be real change.

As a side note, conservative Supreme Court Judge Neil Gorsuch is a surprising advocate for recognizing reservations given that no laws have ever taken them away. When I was a Research Assoicate at a Washington DC K Street firm, Gorsuch was one of the attorneys. 

June

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, 2015

Kristin Hannah writes such compelling characters. Characters that I become invested in and really care about. 

Leni Allbright is a child who has moved around numerous times as her father Ernt attempts to escape his demons after coming back as a POW from the Vietnam War. 

Her mother Coralina is doing her best to hold the family together.

The Allbrights end up moving up to Kuneq, Alaska after Ernt inherits a cabin and house from a fellow POW. Alasak is burtal and harsh and the Allbrights struggle, but with help, they learn how to survive the cold and dark Alaskan winters as well as the bears and wolves.

In Alaska, Large Marge befriends them. Tom and Matthew Walker live along their outpost road. They have running water in their home.

Mad Earl, father of Ernt's POW friend Bo, has a homestead with family members including his daugther Thelma.

The beauty and dangers of Alaska are so vividly written as Leni grows up in Kuneq. Similar to other Hannah novels, the 'happily ever after' comes after much loss and hardships. There are twists, falls and lost dreams, but always hope.

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2015

Beautifully written with such innovative ways to use words and descriptions (e.g. decisions being made about Vietman by white men wearning linen suits and lies), The Sympathizer is a gorgous read. 

It is also incredibly dark though, and something I could only take a chapter at a time at the most.

The narrator is a Viet Cong double agent, someone who has lived as an outcast due to being the bastard son of his young Vietnamese's mother and older French father priest. Even his mother's family shamed him.

At university, he makes literal blood brother friends in Man and Bon. He ends up fleeing Vietnam when it falls to remain spying on the General, who flees with the help with American CIA agent Claude.

In America, life is hard for people who have left everything and must begin working hourly jobs despite their previous success and identity in Vietnam. They have fallen and need to deal with the shame of this as well as losing their country.

With English perfected when he stuided in the US, the narrator knows he will never fit in despite how perfect he makes his English. He works at an Asian Studies department at a University in California, where he befriends Japanese American Ms. Mori.

He meets Sonny from his univerisy days again. He remains an idealist anti-communist and has started a newspaper in America focusing on news about his homeland.

There is the Major who has been nicknamed the crapulent Major. Someone who is pauchy and will always be middling, working at a gas station to support his family.

The General runs a restaurant, a shell of a place that he would never be caught dead eating in in Vietname, with his wife. Their daughter Lana decides to become a singer, dressed provacatively during performances, to the shame of her parents.

Biting commentary on colonialism, racism in America, being an immigrant in America, America's action during the Vietnam war - so much packed in these pages.

The Symphasizer was awarded the Pulitzer. The story of the narrator and Bon continue in The Committed, which I plan to read since it is set in France, but need a break from the darkness and heaviness.

Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman by Brooke Shields, 2024

An interesting read about how older women (i.e. over 40) become invisible. Brooke Shields was 59 when this book was published and talks about how there is is little respect for older women. We are not marketed to, despite our spending power, nor are our medical conditions (like menopause) understood.

Filled with interesting data points (e.g. under a quarter of gynecologists received any lectures or training about menopause), BSINATGO talks about Shield's journey of entering her later decades feeling stronger and more confident than ever despite what society says.

With wry humor, Shields also reflects on the gender inequalities against girls where they are made to feel less than as she considers her daughters. In many ways, I find this book very relatable. 

There are Hollywood tidbits here and there that include Tom Cruise and her neighbor Bradley Cooper, but mostly this book is a reflection of Shields coming into herself as a woman who has lived 59 years and is over the bullshit.

An exerpt: 

For me, the journey to becoming more confident was also about wanting to feel less stressed-out and worried all the time. There came a day when I was simply tired of judging myself and feeling like I wasn't enough. I was over the angst. I didn't want to be mean to myself anymore, and I started to wonder where I got the idea that I needed to be perfect at everything anyway. What would it feel like in my body if I told myself I'm smart, I'm talented, I'm strong, I'm beautiful, I'm a good person and friend? I asked myself. What if I just assumed I was good enough as is? Turns out, it's liberating!

May

Tilt by Emma Pattee, 2025

An imagining of the catastrophic Cascadia earthquake hitting Portland, Oregon, Annie is at IKEA nine months pregnant. She is trapped under boxes and saved by IKEA employee Taylor.

The description of the apocolyptic scene is searing. Phones aren't working, dust is in the air, people are hungry and death is everywhere. There is only chaos - no police, firemen. In other words, no one is coming to help.

Buildings are collapsed, roads and highways are ruined, people are hungry and frantic, searching for loved ones.

The story takes place over the hours that Annie treks across Portland, searchng for her husband Dom. 

Throughout the march across the ruined city, Annie reflects back on the past telling her yet to be born baby Bean about meeting Dom, memories of her mother and how her dreams of being a playwright has died over the years while Dom's dream of being an actor still burns strong.

The despair of Annie's surroundings, her and Dom's life of constantly being in debt while Dom chases his dreams, and Taylor's desperation to find her daughter Gabby is beautifully written.

The ending felt incomplete but appropriate in the way the focus is on Annie and her transformation as she is thrown into the unknown.

Costas: Warrior for Life by Costas Theocharidis, 2024

Written and self-pubished by a friend, this autobiography sheds light into what discipline and hard work can achieve. The focus, intentionality and drive that Costas has is rare and amazing. My Amazon review of his book says it all:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring story about sports and life

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2025

Verified Purchase

Costas: Warrior for Life is a fascinating story about what it takes to make it as a Division I champion athlete. There are many 'naturally talented' athletes, but Costas's story sheds light into what it takes (beyond talent) to become a champion. The book is not just a one-dimensional story about sports though. Costas talks about applying the same hard work and intentionality that got him to the States playing for a top team like Hawaii to his life beyond sports.

Filled with Life Lessons gleaned from his collegiate and post-collegiate career in Finance and Real Estate, Costas also talks about his family, living in major international cities and passion for ultra marathons. It's an inspiring biography that goes beyonds stats and accomplishments. A great read! 

James by Percival Everett, 2024

This reimaging of James, the slave from the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn adventures, is beautifullly written and imagined.

The power of language is a theme as James and fellow slaves must learn to speak 'slave' language and never correct a white person. 

The morality of slavery and 'kind' masters and white people who oppose slavery (but do nothing to stop it) is also at play.

A heartbreaking novel with its honest depiction of how slaves were treated lead me to tear up a few times. 

The brutality and racism that humans are capable of are staggering. 

A Pulitzer Prize Finalist, James is a powerful book that had me turning the pages as James ran from one cruelty to another in his escape towards freedom. 

The realizations and growth from James as he meets fellow slaves and white people leads him to returning to where he once fled to reunite with his wife and daughter. His initial naive plan to buy them back no longer a consideration.

Next on my list is to read Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I don't recall if I read it i school or just know the stories through popular culture. 

I look forward to reading Tom Sawyer with fresh eyes, knowing what I know about James.

[I realized after the fact that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a separate book; the one that centers around Huck's adventure with James and the one that I want to read...]

A few weeks later... James has won the Pultizer Prize for fiction! I picked up Huckleberry Finn and it is such a different style and voice. I do not see myself geting into it...