Shattered

Honestly, I found this book pretty tiresome - much like the candidate herself. Certainly, it was informative (though somewhat biased); but it was just a depressing slog through a doomed campaign.

The authors took it pretty easy on someone who was (clearly) a very dirty candidate. There's no mention of the very underhanded way the DNC dealt with Bernie. Instead, they paint Hillary as something of a victim in the whole mess. Since the election, this has essentially been the tone - "poor Hillary" - and it grows old quickly.

This book takes a very sympathetic tone that I just don't feel is warranted. It's fairly honest in most regards, however a lot is left out. And through ommission, Hillary looks like a victim of chance rather than one of her own making.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Moth Presents: All These Wonders

What a great collection of genuine, heartfelt stories. I actually find it a bit difficult to get into short stories. Often, they're just too brief for me to make a connection with the characters. I was totally sucked into this book though--perhaps because these are very personal stories. I polished off half the book in a single sitting!

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the beautiful cover design. The illustrator/designers did an outstanding job on this one. This is a book that you want on your shelf for the pure loveliness of it.

I am now looking forward to The Moth podcasts for more of these bite-sized stories!

A Proper Drink

This book seems it bypassed editing and went straight to print. It's a fascinating read, to be sure; but it's fraught with typos and is very often confusing in content.

The story jumps from one event and/or person to the next without warning and without context. While the author is obviously knowledgeable on the subject, he might have done well to co-write this with a better writer. The writing style is very stiff, purely relaying facts without a lot of flair.

I was quite looking forward to this book, but was sadly disappointed.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.