Books I Read This Week (1/4/15-1/10/15)

The Zoo at the Edge of the World by Eric Kahn Gale

My rating: ★★★☆☆

This was a quick, amusing read by one of the members of Team Starkid (the group that made A Very Potter Musical and got Darren Criss started). The depiction of the indigenous people in the novel was disappointing to me, they’re incredibly generalized and mystified. It's as if the author just took all of the generalities of an indigenous culture and tailored it a little to fit the setting in South America. If I didn’t know that the Arawak are a real people I’d think he just made up something to use in the book. I was also disappointed that Olivia didn't feature much in the story, why create her at all?

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'brien

My rating: ★★★★★

THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING I WAS SAD TO BE FINISHED. It was so fascinating and exciting and sweet all in one, and it reminded me of how much I love children’s fiction. The mystery surrounding the rats of NIMH, and the culture they created in the rose bush, the character of Mrs. Frisby, and the flashbacks to the lab that made you just want to know MORE... Instant favorite.

Rage in Paris by Kirby Williams

My rating: ★★★★★

While on a trip to Portland I picked up Rage in Paris at the downtown Powell's, fascinated by the summary on the back cover. In high school English class I learned about the Lost Generation in Paris, about Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. But I have NEVER heard anything about the Black American expatriates who moved to Paris to escape the violent racial climate and Jim Crow of that time. It makes perfect sense now that I've heard of it, but this is the first time I've heard ANYTHING about them. Historical fiction is my favorite literary genre, and this is one of the best historical novels I've ever come across. It featured so many real historical figures and offered a glimpse into a rare part of history while managing to convey a fascinating story. I don't know enough about the actual events described in the book to say how realistic it is, but it was definitely entertaining to read. The writing is incredibly reminiscent of the writers of the Lost Generation, and the beginning of the novel reminded me a lot of The Sun Also Rises as it described the Black community and their drinking and partying. Unfortunately this review isn't very articulate, but the main point I want to convey is that this is an EXCELLENT work of historical fiction, and EVERYONE SHOULD BE READING IT.