Jammies' books

Eunice Hunton Carter was an amazing woman, and I'm glad that Stephen Carter wrote this book about her.  Ms. Carter lived in a time when it was shocking for a woman to want to be more than a wife and a mother and shocking for an African-American to want to be an attorney, and yet she got her law degree and had an amazing career.

Mr. Carter writes engaging narrative non-fiction, and makes his subject, her surroundings and the time in which she lived come alive.  I had intended to share my copy of the book with all of the women lawyers I know (and I know a lot of them!), but after a discussion with a male colleague, I think men are the ones who need to read this book as a reminder that women's incredible achievements can get swept under the rug of history.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I nagged the friend who gave this to me into admitting the dog dies, so I didn't finish the book.

The first thing I did after finishing this book was text a note to my brother, a worker's comp attorney, thanking him for what he does.  The second thing I am going to do is recommend this to everyone I know.  One caveat, if you're going to read this book, you need a strong stomach.  What happened to these women is bad enough physically, and the author doesn't pretty up her descriptions.  More horrific is what was done to these women in the name of profit.

I really didn't think I was going to be able to finish this book, considering that Mrs. Lane's political views are utterly repugnant to me.  But thanks to the author's skill, I was invested enough to read all the way to the end.

Enough, Mr. Deaver.  This is the second book where Amelia gets fooled.  If it happens a third time, you've either got no imagination or a problem with women police officers.

For all that this is a short book, there's a lot to think about. The author writes well, and his so-weird-they-have-to-be-true stories are engaging. He's a little too impressed with his own cleverness, but at least you know you're reading about the real man. Overall, a nice little memoir.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a perfect summer read, especially while on a family vacation. None of the characters are perfect, but they are all perfectly human, and I rooted for all of them. The plot is clever and engaging, and the same miscommunications which would drive me in a romance novel made me smile here.

This is definitely a love story, it's just one about family love, and how even the ones you love the most can still fail to understand you. It's a warm, funny, poignant book that I enjoyed thoroughly.

A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The fact that I was expecting a horror novel and got a thriller is my fault, not the author's or the publisher. And since I am not a big fan of thrillers, I went into this book with a feeling of obligation rather than excitement.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. While I wouldn't re-read it, the pacing was good, all the characters enjoyable (although the Russian Major General is a bit two-dimensional) and the plot kept my attention.

This novel might be an even bigger pleasure for someone who loves thrillers, but for me it was still an engaging read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The fact that I was expecting a horror novel and got a thriller is my fault, not the author's or the publisher. And since I am not a big fan of thrillers, I went into this book with a feeling of obligation rather than excitement.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. While I wouldn't re-read it, the pacing was good, all the characters enjoyable (although the Russian Major General is a bit two-dimensional) and the plot kept my attention.

This novel might be an even bigger pleasure for someone who loves thrillers, but for me it was still an engaging read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read, but certainly not an easy one.  Ms. Anderson does a wonderful job of making the reader care about her subjects, making the tragedies of which she writes all the more heartbreaking.  In addition, I learned quite a bit about the process of ammo making during the Civil War.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy for review.

When I first read the introduction to this book, I recognized that I was one of those people who just assumed that Appalachia was lily-white. Clearly, I had a lot to learn and this book was a big help.

The style is definitely scholarly, rather than narrative, and few, if any, individuals appear in more than one chapter. Still, it's a quick read and very informative, so I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Appalachia.

Disclaimer: free copy sent in exchange for an honest review.

This book should have been a favorite for me--a fascinating true story of women working together and fighting sexism plus some mid-century details.  Instead, I read the whole book without feeling anything other than an academic interest in the fates of the protagonists, including the writer/narrator.  

Bittersweet in all the best ways.