Reviews with TLC

I started reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot w ithout much knowledge about HeLa cells and particularly little know about their widespread use in medical research. Skloot tells the story not only of Henrietta and her family but of the evolution of medical research combined with glimpses into the history of race relations in America, at least in part. Skloot focuses on Henrietta and the Lacks family in a way that sometimes feels almost invasive but nonetheless is fascinating.  The Lacks family is a family like any other filled with interesting, multifaceted characters. There was an honesty and a rawness that was almost painful to read at times. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks demonstrates on almost every page just how interconnected we are. Skloot's investigation into the research that uses HeLa cells leaves little doubt t hat you and I are only alive today because of said research. Skloot tells a story that engages and enlightens by keeping the f

The After Party by Jana Prikryl left me with more of a feeling or the impression of being than it did a distinct reaction to individual poems. There's a current of accepting the idea of just being that weaves itself through the myriad poems that took me on a journey alongside Prikryl. I appreciated Prikryl's use of language to examine how interconnected we are with one another with all our similarities and our differences as well as with the past, the present, and the future. As I read The After Party I often lost track of the words in an immersion of mood, atmosphere, and emotion feeling rather surprised when I came to the end of the poem. 

Emma's Choice by Loretta Porter pulled me in right away. My heart ached for Emma as she grieved. I identified with the desire to run away to a new place and start over where no one knows what one has experienced. In the midst of grieving the loss of her family, Emma moves from the United States to England as easily as moving from one state to another. She runs away from not only her grief but her support system. Emma came across as far too naive at times making me cringe and, to be honest, pulled me out of the story a few times. As she meets new people and starts to build a new life, her grief vacillates wildly, even uncomfortably so. Emma's Choice offers a rollercoaster of emotions that serves as a reminder just how fragile life is and how important living is.

I started reading Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks while on a flight to Kentucky, and I finished it on the flight home about a week later.  Bluegrass State of Mind offers romance with a dash of danger and dark intrigue. The lost love connection fighting to find its footing intrigued me but fell into the typical breakdown in basic communication that seems to permeate romance novels. Given the high profile of several of the characters, I wondered how certain bits of information could remain unknown by other characters. Brooks' characters, though at times falling victim to stereotypes, are interesting and even intriguing. I wanted to know what happened to the characters even when I questioned how plausible certain parts of the story were.  Bluegrass State of Mind is a fun read, particularly if you enjoy romances.