Lucci's List: March 2019

My Lucci's List: March 2019 is packed with irreverent and whimsical tales. I think the Leprechauns will approve.

If you know a local author who would like their book featured, please contact me!

Happy reading!

SELF-HELP/INSPIRATION

"Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown

"Daring Greatly: How Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead" by Brene' Brown is an insightful study into our emotions as individuals and how our belief systems can cause upheaval or healing within a family or community.

The concept of being brave enough to bare your soul is not a new one, but it is still a powerful one. In the age of Facebook and other social media, people are often drawn to comparisons. We do not think of how other people measure up against each other; rather, we judge ourselves against the world.

What if we were honest. True. Not sappy and giving TMI. Rather, communicative: expressing to ourselves in our inner dialogue the truth. Once we can assess the truth of what we need to be functioning human beings, with our own intricate desires and needs and hot buttons, we may then share without shame the ways we could use help, or would like to participate, or feel involved, within our peer and family groups.

This is an excellent reminder that until we have the courage to tell ourselves the ugly truth, we will never be brave enough to seek a beautiful life for not only ourselves, but for the people we valiantly attempt to serve in our daily lives.

ESSAYS

"The View from Flyover Country" by Sarah Kendzior

"The View From Flyover Country:Dispatches from the Forgotten America" by Sarah Kendzior is little more than a Trump bashing monologue. The essays do have value as historical opinions, and there are some facts noted that are important to know in order to understand the background of our current political and social climate.

I would have appreciated this collection of essays more if:

1. The criticisms of the GOP were voiced in a more factual rather than whingey manner

2. The subjects of the essays delved more into the actual "flyover" states and how middle America played or didn't play a part in creating our modern cultural landscape

3. The terrorists who injured, maimed, and killed at least 264 athletes and bystanders at the finish line of the April 13, 2013 Boston Marathon were depicted as the murdering slashers they were. They might have had their own troubled tales, but they were certainly not victims of a racist press.

This collection of essays seemed like less of a journalism collection and more of a tirade. A well-worded tirade, sure. But nothing I couldn't hear from any number of sources, including my armchair politician pals.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY

"Neuromancer" by William Gibson

"Neuromancer" by William Gibson is a sci-fi novel that explores the themes of artificial intelligence and alternate reality.

The main character, Henry, is excommunicated from his alternate reality universe because of theft. This makes him struggle with his identity as a human and he despairs at finding his place in the world. He befriends a cyborg-like female who offers him a second chance at life. He risks his body to attain fulfillment.

Drug use is rampant. Violence is inherent. Aggressive and lewd sex is abundant.

This futuristic world has adapted new words, which makes sense as language continually grows and changes. Swears are still used, to excess.

I enjoy science fiction, dystopian novels, and the idea of alternate reality or consciousness. This book was not one I would ever read again, and I certainly would not recommend it. Personally, the drugs, violence, swearing, and sex were all over the top. They did not make up for the stilted characters. I thought the way the author incorporated new words into the world was fun, but overdone to the point of adding to the confusion of the muddled story line.

The concept was interesting, but everything else fell short. Maybe it could be re-written in a cohesive, better defined, less forced way.

SHORT STORIES

"That's What Neighbors are For" by Chad D. Christy

"That's What Neighbors are For" is a delightful collection of short stories interspersed with warmth, insights on relationships, and sly observations.

"Return to Bryn Mairwyn" by Jennifer Selzer
"Return to Bryn Mairwyn" by Jennifer Selzer is a fantastic short story of the cycle of life, family faithfulness, and magic dragons.

I particularly enjoyed the irony of an airplane and a dragon, in the same era, flying through common skies.

This would be a fun quick read for tweens, teens, and adults.

"The Short Adventure of Beatrix Weiland" by Hector Manuel Elias Oliver

"The Short Adventure of Beatrix Weiland" by Hector Manuel Elias Oliver is a short story with themes of magic and a quest for personal reality.

Beatrix is a teenager living in a modernistic world where religion and government combine to create an authoritarian culture. Beatrix dares to stop taking her prescribed drug, and is intrigued by the world she sees without the medication.

Rebellion, questioning of authority, and the drama of life and death common in surviving the teenage years are investigated in this story, in a fascinating way.

I found the story to be a rocky start, but it progressed as Beatrix took risks to discover the truth within herself. There are some swears, but nothing outlandish. This would be an enjoyable read for fans of alternate worlds and dystopia.

"Tales from Alternate Earths" from Inklings Press

"Tales from Alternate Earths" edited by Jessica Holmes is a collection of eight short stories. Each one explores themes in alternate history. Some have decidedly sci-fi and fantasy twists.

Each story is based on a real life event, and then reimagined in a new way. The worlds created, the tangled timelines, and bizarre creatures within these tales portray uniquely provocative viewpoints to what history is, and what it could become.

If you enjoy science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, alternate history, or short stories, this book will satisfy your reading hunger. It would also be a fun addition to a history or social studies curriculum.

"Steampunk Fairy Tales" Edited by Heather White

"Steampunk Fairy Tales" is a collection of traditional stories from around the world retold with steampunk flair. Each tale is written by a different author, offering not only a different take on folklore but also a unique modernistic twist.

Each story is short enough to read in one sitting. Entertaining and lighthearted, "Steampunk Fairy Tales" is a fun adventure across the globe and time.

SNEAK PEEK AT LUCCI'S LIST: APRIL 2019

Memoir

"Prairie Fires" by Caroline Fraser

Poetry
"First Edition" by Dianalee Velie

"Four-Score and Twelve" by Ted O. Badger

"At War With the Fireflies" by Veronica McDonald

"I Have Invented Nothing" by Jean-Pierre Rosnay

"Ya Te Veo" by P. Scott Cunningham

Science Fiction
"Kings of the Wild" by Nicholas Eames