Book Review -- The World's Strongest Librarian

The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne

My enjoyment rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Book hangover: 0

Source:   I received a copy of this book free from the publisher. I received no other compensation, and my thoughts are 100% my own.

Genre: Memoir

Objectionable material:  language including the F bomb.

In his acknowledgments author Josh Hanagarne says, “When I finished the final version of this book, I thought, ‘This is a really weird story.’”

I couldn’t agree more.

Josh is a 6’ 7” librarian. Who also happens to be Mormon. Who also happens to have Tourette Syndrome. Who also happens to lift kettle ball weights to help manage his “tics” and symptoms.

That, my friends, is weird.

But interestingly enough…the weirdness actually works.

In his memoir, The World’s Strongest Librarian, we learn how Josh struggles with his disease, his attempts at traditional medication, his difficulty with school, his faith, his family relationships, and his job.

I appreciated how much he has overcome to try to live a “normal” life – the attempts at intense physical and mental training to keep “Misty” (the name he has given his tics) at bay. I enjoyed learning about his family and his marriage and their struggle with infertility; about his continued worry over his son, Max, and whether he too would inherit Tourette’s. I was especially touched by how honest he was with regards to his Mormon faith – and the struggles he has with “not knowing” where he is in life with his religious beliefs. I can totally relate.

The librarian side of me wished it had more librarian anecdotes – because libraries are zoos and the patrons are the animals and on any given day, you never know what is going to happen or what you might step in. Quite literally. So, I was desperate for MORE of those – because his scenarios were very funny!

But this wasn’t a “library” book – this was a book about illness and the strength to overcome.

 

Josh in his own words:

 

View all my reviews

February Book Club -- Wyrd Sisters

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

My enjoyment rating: 5 of 5 stars

Source:  Personal copy

Genre:  Science Fiction; Fantasy

Objectionable material:  Not a single thing.

Double, double toil and trouble

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1

When Duke Felmet kills King Verence and names himself the new King of Lancre, Verence's ghost haunts the castle and his young son is smuggled out of the kingdom and taken to a coven of three witches for protection. These witches bestow three gifts upon the baby and place him with the owner of an acting troupe. The new king is an evil one, and the entire kingdom (animal, vegetable, and mineral) expresses its displeasure. How could the witches possibly refrain from using their magic skills to meddle in royal politics, place the rightful heir on the throne, and set things right?

This was my first foray into Discworld and the writings of Terry Pratchett. All I can say is – what took me so long!

Every character is uniquely hilarious:

• The three witches – Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick – can ride circles around the kingdom and lead wayward kings back home to their kingdom.

• Fool – aide to the current King – but not as foolish as the royal couple might think.

• Tomjon – an actor by trade, but a noble by birth, he’d much rather be on stage than on a throne.

• Hwel (Will?) – playwright extraordinaire, with a passing familiarity to the Bard.

• Death – he’s always there, waiting.

The story is a clever lampoon of Shakespeare from the opening scene onwards. It's a fast-paced romp through a parody of scenes, themes, and lines from Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard III and many more. Pratchett also throws in references to Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty (not to mention others I have probably missed). Not only is it a spoof of Shakespeare – but also a mash up of Shakespeare in Love, The Princess Bride and Monty Python.

I haven’t howled reading a book in a very long time. Dare I say, I was bewitched?

It was wickedly funny.

View all my reviews

Book Review -- Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source:  Birthday present

Genre:  General fiction

Objectionable material:  use of F-bomb

What do a former award winning architect, a Microsoft guru, a crumbling manor house, a super gifted tween with a heart defect, a crazy neighbor who invades your property, an international personal assistant, the Russian mafia, and a cruise to the South Pole have in common?

They are all dysfunctional, quirky, struggling, and brilliantly crafted characters in Maria Semple’s hilarious book, Where’d You Go Bernadette.

Bernadette Fox’s biggest problem seems to be her rancorous relationship with her neighbor over an abundance of blackberry vines. But what starts out as pesky gardening issue, turns into a woman desperate to find herself, her lost career, and an opportunity to rebuild her family.

Told in epistolary form, Bernadette and the rag tag crew that inhabit the pages, take us on a Rube Goldberg-like journey – the reader never knowing what will happen next, where you will end up or how it will end.

Truly, I haven’t read something so different, unique, and entertaining in a very long time!

Caveat: If you were to purchase this book – make sure you have the LAST 3 pages! In my edition – there was a printing error and the last three pages were missing!!! Ahh!! I stayed up until 1am to finish this, only to get slapped with no ending at all. The publisher acknowledged that it was a manufacturing problem, and is sending me a complete copy. Thankfully, because this is a book I would like to pass around.

View all my reviews