I
thoroughly enjoyed the quirky main character, Elizabeth Zott, a
brilliant chemist fighting to be a scientist in the male-dominated workplace in
the sixties.
Being ousted from her lab position, Zott eventually hosts a
cooking show on television and uses chemistry to teach women the scientific ins
and outs of meal preparation. The story is one of triumph over a great deal of adversity,
an inspirational tale for all of us who have experienced the glass ceiling
because of our gender, or who don’t fit the mold of what is considered proper.
Having
once been told by a group of women that I’d never find a man if I didn’t dumb
down my intelligence, Zott’s uncompromising brilliance is a beacon of light.
I
enjoyed the twists in the story and found the ending full circle and
satisfying. Lessons in Chemistry is a
delight to read.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads
"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times…
Yellowface is a multifaceted,
satirical story about two young female writers in New York, one mediocre and struggling
to be known; the other immensely talented and instantly famous.
The story is
told first person through the eyes of June Hayword, the not-very likable,
struggling author who takes her dead Asian friend’s (although June secretly
envies and despises her) unpublished manuscript and makes it her own.
The
publisher then transforms June into an ambiguously Asian woman, giving her the
name Juniper Song, and helping to propel her into a best-selling author and
famedom. The narrative raises the issues of appropriation and who has the right
to tell what story, the line between “taking inspiration from” and stealing another’s
work, and the way publishers and publicists manipulate readers by creating
author personas.
The story is witty, cringe-worthy at times, cutting, and
ultimately unforgettable.
One of the strengths of the book is Kuang’s ability
to refrain from giving definitive answers or offering her own opinions on some
divisive and topical issues — my book club had a great discussion as a result!
The No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller from literary sensation R.F. Kuang
*A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick*
'Propulsive' SUNDAY TIMES
'Razor-sharp' TIME
'A wild ride' STYLIST
'Darkly comic' GQ
'A riot' PANDORA SYKES
'Hard to put down, harder to forget' STEPHEN KING
Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.
White lies When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.
Dark humour But as evidence threatens June's stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she…
Scotch Mist is the first book that I
read in Catriona’s hilarious series, featuring Scottish-born therapist Lexy Campbell.
This is also the first
book I’ve read set during the beginning of the pandemic, and it captures the general
chaos and trepidation that we all experienced in a gently humorous way.
Lexy
and several select people move into the California Last Ditch Motel to isolate
for what they believe will be a few weeks — funny in hindsight — with the motel
owner being a full-blown germaphobe, a condition of paranoia we all experienced
during those first weeks when we were ordered to isolate in place. One of the
motel guests disappears, leaving behind her two young children and a trail of
blood, and the mystery is underway.
The writing is witty and laugh-out-loud
funny with a twisty whodunit at its core. It’s also a tale of friendship and
loyalty during a time of great stress. An enjoyable, heart-warming book written
with a deft and compassionate hand.
Despite efforts to create a safe environment to see out the pandemic, the residents of the Last Ditch Motel face more dangers than they imagined possible in this hilarious yet claustrophobic mystery.
March 2020 and Operation Cocker is a go! The owners of the Last Ditch Motel, with a little help from their friend Lexy Campbell, are preparing to support one another through the oncoming lockdown, offering the motel's spare rooms to a select few from the local area in need of sanctuary.
While the newbies are settling in, an ambiguous banner appears demanding one of them return home. But…
Ottawa is baking under a July heatwave when the Homicide and Major Crimes Unit is called to help track down missing three-year-old Charlie McGowan.
This is the second missing person case in nine months — a university exchange student never made it back to her Carleton University residence from a downtown party in November.
At first, the two disappearances appear unrelated, but as true crime podcaster Ella Tate and Detective Liam Hunter dig deeper into both files, unsettling relationships begin to emerge. Evidence, however, remains frustratingly out of reach as the clock keeps ticking and concern for both missing victims takes on a heightened urgency.
And then Liam Hunter gets a call that a body’s been found on the Ottawa River Parkway...
