Book Review: The Women (military nurses in the Vietnam Conflict)

The Women, by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's  Press, 2024, 480pp HB, $30), a Goodreads Choice Award winner; Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times and USA Today number one bestseller; and recognized by Barnes and Noble, Amazon, NPR, and Audible

A saga usually spans generations of an influential family during turbulent times but author Kristin Hannah manages to create sagas that cover only a decade or so in her books (Firefly Lane,

Magic Hour 

and 18 others) yet leaves the reader exhausted emotionally nevertheless. She creates depth as well as breadth in her novels that are breathtaking in their realism and optimism and inspiration yet are so much more than 'chick-flicks' in word form.

With a front cover reminiscent of the Broadway play "Miss Saigon," 

The Women encompasses a truly believable story amidst the turmoil of the 60s and ventures into the 70s and beyond. If you were alive and kicking during that time, you will remember the protest songs and folk songs mentioned and the political  headlines that not only brought the country together but also divided us politically.

The Script: "Women are Heroes, too."

Frankie (Frances to her mother) was raised to believe military service was an honor and a duty, but only for men. Her brother was a Navy pilot, so Frankie, a nurse, joined the Army almost on a whim. The men she met in Vietnam and the nurses she bonded with (for life) and the homecoming that so many vets experienced serve as the background for this long but fast-reading novel (short paragraphs help as well).

The Best?

Touted as one of the best of the Hannah novels, The Women has won several literary awards and will serve as a book club selection for many years to come. Now, this reviewer is on to read The Nightingale, a Book of the Month selection!

Book Review: Wildlife Anatomy (OT)

Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World, by Julia Rothman (Storey, $18.99, 2023, 208pp PB)

What a wonderful incredible book - to keep and refer to, often! But you can't read it in one sitting because there is too much to digest: more than 200 pages of delightful drawings and scientific information* so the built-in bookmarks come in handy.

With six chapters including "Have you Herd?" and "Social Networks" as well as "Built From the Ground Up." Most are self-explanatory but "Built From the Ground Up" may not be: it is about dens, underground tunnels, nests, and of course dams built by nature's engineer, the beaver. Some nests are rebuilt every day! Mud is a common component as well.

Colorful illustrations crowd every page as the reader follows up the phylogenetic tree with digressions along the way and a bit too many unusual animals for me - we would never run into them and with only a sentence or two about each one, the author doesn't nearly do them justice.

Having said that, Wildlife is a good review for a former zoology major or for a high-school student who can't get enough of animals: perhaps he or she is trying to decide their favorite one. If so, Rothman's book will help. And now I am going to look up the author's work on oceans and maybe a sticker book or activity book or. . . . 

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*life span, courtship rituals, size of 'litters,' and yes, anatomy (anatomy of the hoof on p. 94 and of a giraffe, flamingo, armadillo, camel, owl, tarantula, . . . .oh, how I wish the author had included an index!

Book Review: A Farewell to Arfs (a Chet and Bernie dog mystery)

A Farewell to Arfs, by Spencer Quinn (Tor Publishing Group, 2024, 278pp HB, $27.99) Reviews of other Chet and Bernie books here and here and here. . . . 

I came across A Farewell to Arfs quite by mistake but it reminded me that it has been a long time since I last read a Chet and Berrnie dog mystery and I missed those guys! It was good to be back. This is number 15 in the series. So far.

Author Spencer Quinn is at the top of his field as usual, with the help of Chet The Dog (Bernie is Chet's human and a PI). Or maybe it's because of Chet The Dog. I had mistakenly remembered that chapters alternated between the two as narrators but soon recalled that Chet The Dog is the "narrator extraordinaire" and the reason for the book series - and its successes.

Chet is the lovable, fast-talking but slow-remembering sidekick in danger but we love him. He gets sidetracked so easily that even we can't always follow him.

The Plot

We love how the exciting climax comes not at the end but several chapters earlier with the explanation at the end. Set in probably Arizona or New Mexico, like many Chet and Bernie stories, this one tackles AI and computers and hacking and . . . . basically, an old man's life savings are stolen by his son when the man's passwords are handed over. But was it really to his son on the phone? Does a parent ever get his child mixed up over the phone? 

We love the return of the Hawaiian shirts and 'big guy' and how Chet thinks Bernie is the smartest one in the room (always) and we love the love Chet has for Bernie.

And,  About the Cover

Starting with Heart of Barkness (number 8 in the series), the book covers feature a pawprint* and a photo of our hero, Chet, rather than just his silhouette (which left it all to your imagination). I preferred to imagine Chet rather than see him as a dog different than what I had imagined.

You can read the Chet and Bernie books in any order but they are a bit better when read consecutively. For example, I read Farewell after skipping a few, only to find that Bernie's love interest had changed. Now he is engaged to a female police officer who doesn't need his protection (given) which results in the ceremony being put off.

And, About the Title

As a book reviewer, I find myself starting in the back. Is there an index? Does the book need one? I read the acknowledgements, intro, preface, ToC (table of contents), all the boring things you, the reader, skips over. I look at the front and back cover, and, of course, the title. I couldn't figure out this title though it did refer to A Farewell to Arms. . . . 

Recommendation

If you don't mind talking dogs, you will love these books!

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*However, fortunately, the Chet and Bernie books are referred to as the Chet and Bernie books with the right order of protagonists: Chet, first!

Book Review: Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah (St Martin's Griffin, 479pp PB, $19, 2008)

I am drained after finishing this 479-page book in four days. And I was late to the table discovering author Kristin Hannah. But I will read more of her 15-plus* books.

The Magic Hour 

was incredible but Firefly Lane topped it. Both were set in the Pacific NorthWest (PNW) where I grew up and Firefly's two women graduated from my university, the University of Washington, so I recognized most of the place names and the popular songs that were sprinkled throughout - and remember the clothing - after all this was in the Hippie Times, and the following 30 years..

Firefly is a long book that is a fast read because I loved both women and wanted to be both but never even knew girls like that growing up. Kate and Tully could not be more different but starting at age 14 (in 1974), they became and remained best friends and yes, they fought and were jealous of each other but they were also there for each other.

Kate and Tully had that rare friendship that is also found among veterans in that you can ask them for anything. 

Although the end was rather long and the chapters did not have titles, just about everything else was pretty near perfect.

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* 24 so far, as of September 2026

Book Review: Social Animals (3 women, 3 dogs, a mystery or two at the dog park)

 Social Animals, A Novel, by Camiille Perri (Penguin RandomHouse, 2026, $30, 313pp, HB)

Would you buy this dog? or at least buy this book? Isn't he adorable? But he* looks stuffed (and angry).

Oh, how I wish authors would ask book reviewers to read their book before they publish! But they have editors to do that. And most reviewers are positive. That's why I like to include what I like about a book as well as what I might change.

Social Animals stars three women who meet at the local dog park and form a supportive group quickly. Each has issues: either her job (possibly covert) or her living situation (abuse) or the fact that one was a college athlete and another hides her wealth - and one is not who she purports to be while one has a dog and is so not a dog person. Why not? How are the three 'related'?

Author Camille Perri begins Social Animals with a plethora of characters both human and canine. I suggest keeping paper and pen nearby, though the field does narrow as the pages turn,

I felt the pacing was a bit off so that one woman becoming brave towards the end simply was not terribly believable. However, the antics of the dogs and typical dog park humans was characteristic though many were left out.

Bonus: it is a quick beach read!

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*Can you guess the breed? 

Book Review: The One and Only Bob (Ivan, storm)

The One and Only Bob, by Katherine Applegate (HarperCollins, 2020, 368pp PB, $8.99, ages 8-11, grades 3-7) 

"The one and only" Katherine Applegate gave us The One and Only Ivan,

winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal for children, followed by The One and Only Bob, then The One and Only Ruby (2023)

and The One and Only Family (2024), 

Odder (reviewed here), the otter,

and the oh-so-cute Doggo and Pupper books. And many many more books.

You are probably familiar with Ivan, the shopping mall gorilla who was saved after nearly 30 years and lived out the rest of his days in a wildlife sanctuary. But do you remember Ruby his young elephant buddy or Bob the dog or any of his adventures? 

Bob is a unique book, albeit a long one at nearly 400 pages. 400 pages? For a kid? Yup, but some chapters are only one page or a few sentences and there are plenty of spaces and empty lines, so reading goes quickly.

Applegate takes about 100 pages to introduce daily life at the sanctuary with Bob the free dog who lives with Julia who carries him in her backpack as she sneaks into the sanctuary so Bob can  play with little Ruby the elephant just over the wall from Ivan the gorilla with a heart of gold.

But it's starting to rain and a storm is coming. And then it comes. And blows down roofs and floods the buildings: the animals have to escape, even the pets in the shelter down the street.

But does everyone make it? Who ends up being a hero? What stories develop and who runs into someone they haven't seen for many years? 

Exciting, funny, inspiring tale of patience and love and family and wisdom and patience again. "Everyone wants a piece of us. Humans treat us badly. Cars really have it in for us. We even get eaten by coyotes, which is kinda like having your cousin invite you over for dinner, then inform you you're the main course." (p. 104)

Every reader will love Bob and Ruby and Ivan but have a hard time deciding on their favorite. Maybe they should read The One and Only Ruby and The One and Only Family next to help them decide!

Book Review: Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees (OT)(about food)

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (HarperCollins, 2024, 210pp HB, $26.99) 

What? No Papaya, No Durian?

Bite by Bite is different from yet similar to author and poet Nezhukumatathil's first book, World of Wonders

and both are informative, delightful and magnificent! 

The author relates her life story in bits and pieces, "bite by bite," using food as the fulcrum on which to reveal a food's history, etymology, and most of all, the love between family members and their trials and tribulations growing up in different cultures. The author's mother is Filipina and her father is from India. We also learn about the different food and recipes, many of them fruit and many of the fruit, tropical fruit. It was fun for me because one of my faves is the mangosteen (and the mango).

We have lovely illustrations from Fumi Nakamura again but this time they are more realistic in style (compared to World of Wonders).

From nuts and sandwiches to deserts and staples, this book should be read slowly, though that may be hard to do. Slowly because of the details, telling the story of that particular spice, for example. And each of the 40 short chapters conjures up something in the author's background to relish. But not only her background but also of sharing cooking with her children and their grandparents, and reminiscing about TV shows from the 60s.

I miss the chapter on papayas but not one on durians!