Heart Berries by Therese Marie Mailhot- Book Review

I became aware of this book because of an article about new Native American authors on the rise. The book was then picked for several celebrity book clubs. It has gotten a lot of buzz. The question is- is it worth it? In short, absolutely!

If you have never read a Native memoir or book, you should know going in that they are often difficult reads because they explore the deep and tough aspects of life. Mailhot’s book is exactly this. She explores her life and her upbringing. She looks at her dual diagnosis of PTSD and bi-polar. She explores her relationship with her father who was a drunk, abusive, and who was murdered and her mother who was an advocate for prisoners and a social worker.

While this is not a “happy” read, it is an incredible read. Her writing is poetic at times and just draws the reader in. She has an incredible voice, even in the midst of all that is surrounding her in this narrative.

This is what is incredible in Native writing, the struggle is always worth exploring because it is a deep part of life. Trials build the person, but they are never easy to go through. Going through them shows the strength of the person.

There is one thing to note for those that may get a icky feeling, Sherman Alexie is a part of this book besides the Introduction. This was published just before the information about Alexie came out and of course there has been a big backlash regarding his behavior. He is part of her story and he shows up in the memoir. Just be ready for that.

Batman Nightwalker Marie Lu- Book Review

There has been a pleasant series created by DC taking the very famous characters and placing them before they become heroes and are still teenagers. The first was on Wonder Woman right after the release of the movie and now Marie Lu has come out with a Batman one.

In this book, Bruce Wayne has just turned 18 and has now inherited his family’s fortune as well as Wayne Enterprises. He has largely been protected from the media because he was underage, but now that he is 18, his movements in Gotham have become front page news. This is a bit of fun, except on the night of his birthday when Wayne crashes his brand new and highly expensive car and is forced to clean floors in Arkham Asylum.

As he begins mopping, he is harassed by the prisoners there except by a quiet girl who is also 18. She seems too young to be there and has not spoken a word to anyone until Bruce passes her cell. She and Bruce begin a conversation and a relationship, but can Bruce trust a criminal in Arkham?

At the same time, there is a group running around Gotham robbing and killing the rich. Bruce is rumored to be the next on their hitlist. Is the girl connected to all this? (Hint: yes)

One of the biggest difficulties with the book is it is not a “Batman” book, it is a Bruce Wayne book. The Bat does not make an appearance in this book, so the title is pretty misleading.

Marie Lu knows how to tell a story as we saw in her great book WarCross earlier this year. The difficulty is she was given such a legend of DC comics with a deep lore and story that this particular book seems out of place in the Batman/Bruce Wayne universe. If the TV show Gotham did not exist, this might be an exciting entry to have a young Bruce Wayne, but in the Gotham series, the Joker and Penguin are already running around, so a girl in a cell is a pretty tough sell.

It isn’t a bad book though and if the rumors are true, I think I would have liked that book more. The rumor was Lu didn’t want to write a Batman book, but rather a Nightwing/Robin book, which would put this book into a better place. Robin doesn’t have as much of a lore as Wayne does and he is a bit more impulsive, so the book would have fit his character. It just didn’t work for Batman.

I gave this one 3 stars, but not for the writing. It was for the subject.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden- Book Review

I wanted to give a quick update as to what has been going on with my reviews. I am still reading, but have been in a nonfiction/religious/continuing education mode meaning I have been reading more to strengthen my career skills rather than for fun. I have also read quite a number of books, but had no desire to write a review for them because I either did not enjoy them or just thought they were just ok. I like to use this outlet to promote books I really enjoy and want to highlight. So, that is why the number of reviews have dwindled a bit.

This brings me to the latest book review and boy is it a doozy. I loved this book, but absolutely do not know quite how to describe it.

It takes place in the near future Africa, where personal robot assistants are on the upswing. There are is also a new drug beginning to show up, but only to certain people. Not only do the people get high, but then develop some kind of super powers after some weird trips. There is also a singer about to have one of her biggest concerts, but some want to ruin the concert. Going around there is also a little girl who has more power than anyone.

The story is told from differing perspectives with everything moving toward the big concert. There will be gods, crab people, and an AI becoming self aware. This will be a weird trip if one is willing to go on it.

I do love a good straight sci fi story and this is definitely one of them. I cannot say I have read anything quite like it. There is lots of drug use and some sex scenes both gay and straight for those who might want to avoid those topics. Otherwise, this is worth your time.

I gave this one 3.5 stars.