Book Review: The Many Lives of Mama Love By Lara Love Hardin

 So this may be my one "Hot Take Review" 

This is a well written book, with a compelling and interesting narrative. Many people find it worth reading and many people say that it is inspirational and enlightening.  I'm not one of those people. 

I found it to be sort of... not enlightening. nor inspiring.  in fact, this reminded me, oddly of the book "Careless people"  as this story is the epitome of someone who lacks self awareness about the way they move through the world 

 Lara Love Hardin was a middle class woman, living in a middle class neighborhood with a middle class education, and family. She notes that she started taking prescription pills due to feeling awkward and unwelcome at an extended family gathering. This spiraled into using heroin, and stealing from strangers and neighbors to do so, all while raising several children, including an almost 4 year old child.  She intentionally stole, and cheated her way through while putting her children at risk.   I think the moment I became unengaged was the moment when I realized she and her husband were actively using drugs in their suburban home with their child present. After reading some more, I realized that she never seemed to really grasp that she was extremely neglectful and dangerous to her child. For whatever reason, that was it for me. What's kind of odd about this is that I don't even particularly like children. 

Lara eventually went to jail and recounts becoming "Mama Love" in jail and helping other inmates with her amazing writing and leadership skills. Given that she had a Master's Degree when she was arrested I would hope she would have some skills.  Once arrested, she became very concerned that her child needed her- but really her child needed an environment with adults who were clear headed enough to supervise a child, focus on a child's needs etc.  She spends a lot of time discussing how she missed her children's life experiences while she was in jail, but never quite grasps that prior to her incarceration, she was already missing her children's lives- because her life was revolving around obtaining money for drugs. She is proud she attended PTA meetings, and volunteered at events, but I suspect her kids all knew she had a problem.  She notes that her older ones had started to stay at their father's home because indeed, she was not providing meals regularly or helping them get to school on time. So while she paints herself as a PTA soccer mom, it's clear that this wasn't quite what was going on. For her, the intense realization that her children needed her seemed to only apply to when she was physically separated from them, not the fact that she was using drugs so heavily that she was clearly not as present mentally as she might have been physically. 

  Once out of prison, she discovered that life is difficult for someone with a felony record and eventually was extremely lucky to find employment with someone who didn't do a background check. From this, she was able to evolve, have a third marriage, and become a literary superstar.  I do appreciate that she has used that platform to discuss prison reform.  Her discussion of her third marriage where she casually says she couldn't pretend to be interested in her third husband's work  (which was standard work, and not at all glamorous) shows again that lack of depth of understanding. Her husband didn't want her to be into his tradecraft, he just wanted her to be interested in HIM, how he experienced his world, his reactions to things, the day to day things that we all experience. I feel Lara Love Hardin is one person who would fail "the bird test".  I hope that man found the love he clearly deserves. 

She's a great writer.  Unfortunately for me, her entire story still fell flat.  I just could never quite relate to her situation and the casual way she states that she doesn't understand why people disliked her so passionately after she stole "only about 500 dollars" from them, sort of baffles me. She's unhappy that the legal system made it difficult for her to rent a home, or get a job.   While she is clearly now a very successful person, and her children are "fine" per her own report- I found myself very uninterested in the story of how this average white lady ended up in prison for crimes she was guilty of committing, and discovered that jail is bad, neglecting your kids to do drugs is ill-advised, and that not everyone is going to be interested in being your buddy after you lie cheat and swindle them.  

For the multitude of white ladies (and Oprah) who were captivated by this story,  I think I'd recommend reading a story that Lara Love Hardin Co-wrote which was a heck of a lot more powerful, and does demonstrate strength and resilience.  And that would be:

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice  by Anthony Ray Hinton. 

Another choice might be:  Witness: An Insider’s Narrative of the Carceral State by Lyle C. May

So folks, this one wasn't for me. 

Sure it's well written and interesting, but when I see reviews talking about this person's strength and resilience to "go through what she went through" I note that the really strong folks are people who manage the day to day life challenges - like having dinner with your soon to be in-laws- without turning to the percocets or heroin. Those folks out there just raw dogging their lives, being present, and keeping things real  for their families.  I suspect a lot of the "resilience" commentary is coming from people who do recognize themselves in the author. They might have a harder time relating to Anthony Ray Hinton, but a self proclaimed "soccer mom" is definitely relatable. Though, her description of herself as having it together is her description, I suspect people knew long before her arrest that something wasn't quite right. 

I'm a little sad this is the last book I read all year, hopefully I can finish one off today on a higher note. 

STATS

First Published :

Pages: 336

Available as an Audio Book : Yes!

Trigger Warnings: child endangerment, prison drug use, alcohol use. Not a full list - please read responsibly

Book Review: Behold The Dreamers, by Imbolo Mbue

 This is a blast from the Backlist, as it was first published in 2016.  At that time it won lots of awards, and somehow, I never ever saw it.  I was reading less back then, I suppose. 

This debut novel for Mbue  has a lot to love and it remains relevant today! 

      

  In short, readers are given the story of a Cameroonian couple who are determined to make in the America.   Jende did not have it easy in Cameroon, so when he arrives in the US and gains employment as a chauffer for one of Lehman Brother's top men, he's thrilled.  He's well paid, and he and his wife are able to start planning a future. Neither have the correct visas nor a green card, but they are encouraged to not worry too much about the future as no one can predict the future. Through his job, Jende has a view of the ultra-wealthy in the US- and gives readers the same view. 

    All goes along as one might expect until the 2008 financial crisis.

Jende's employer is in crisis, which eventually trickles down to Jende. Cash Flow is at stake, but also relationships which everyone believed were based on more than cold hard cash.  Each character is forced to face some unpleasant realities and each makes choices that they could not have dreamed of making in the past. 

Mbue's novel pulled me in and I could not put it down. It pulsed with a rhythm that drew me in and kept my attention. I was particularly impressed at how even some minor characters were fully fleshed out, and had complete side stories that were as engaging as the main narrative. 

  This novel won the PEN/Faulkner aware in 2017 and I can see why. Well written and edited, compelling unique story which resonates well beyond the 2008 setting. 

     5 stars from me. Worth the read! 

STATS

First Published :March 2016

Pages: 400

Available as an Audio Book : Yes!

Trigger Warnings: parental death, infant death, prejudice, domestic violence, drug use, alcohol use. Not a full list - please read responsibly.

Book Review: The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully

   This is definitely a book far out of my own regular reading arenas.  Cozy Mystery. 

I do not know exactly why I picked this up.  I was casting about for a particular kind of book- one that had some romance but wasn't exactly a romance, and one that would be thought provoking, but not an entire treatise on something... 

    And the Library had this one posted on their page. 

And it really was essentially  JUST OKAY. 

This is a cozy whodunit. Olivia is a modern day young adult, who is fascinated by Ms Merrit a world famous detective. Olivia finds herself in the job of assistant to Ms Merritt and the two embark on a new England adventure to discover who did away with an aging society darling. 

I did read the whole thing, I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and the brain gymnastics that I went through as I considered who I thought the killer might be.  I also enjoyed the very subtle subplot of Olivia's life- where she's planning a wedding to a nice guy, but she's not very interested in the wedding details, especially because his mother is quite involved in the wedding planning.  

Do I feel passionate about this one?  No, no I do not. It was.... fine.  It was enjoyable. It was also what I'd call an airport book- you pick it up, read it on a plane trip and might leave it in an airport because you definitely don't need to carry that extra weight in your journey.  Would I read more from this author?  Possibly. Would I gift this to a reader friend, or a book club white elephant- definitely!  It is interesting and does not contain deep exploration of any dark themes. 

STATS

First Published: 7/8/2025

Pages: 400 pages

Available as an Audio Book : YES  

Trigger Warnings:  violence, Murder, LGBTQ content, mild bullying

(this is not a full list, read responsibly) 

Book Review: Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

  This is a bit of a Beat the Backlist kind of novella.  I found it oddly, on good reads as part of a challenge for novellas and I immediately was thinking SIGN me UP!  Nuns in space? I felt this was going to be bonkers and I really was not incorrect.  

The cover is not bad, but it really really doesn't do the novel any favors.  (the novel is much more interesting than the cover.) 

Lina Rather is a talent to continue watching. Her writing is tight, and concise while still being descriptive and immersive. While she's not writing in the same genre, I feel her style compares to Georges Simenon. Both have short works that are completely immersive with well developed characters and environments despite sparse word counts. 

   No Spoiler summary here: Readers are given the story of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Rita. These sisters serve aboard a spacecraft "Our Lady of Impossible Constellations"  a consecrated ship that happens to be a living, semi-sentient slug like creature. Like many missionaries of old, the sisters have joined the order for various reasons- some of which were related to religious calling, many not so much. The focus of charitable and practical aid looms larger than proselytizing.  I was initially struck by the similarities between these space nuns and early earth missionaries. I thought I was going to be getting a cautionary tale of colonialism but set in space. Instead, I got much more.  The novella opens with discussion of what to do about the living ship's imprinting on another ship, and as the sister's debate and discuss, a distress call arrives from a new colony. The sister's respond and find themselves embroiled in a conflict with Central Governance, the Church and themselves. 

   For me this was such a treat, in 160 short pages, we explore a living space ship made of muscle, viscera and more, the public and private lives of nuns, the ethics of power dynamics in religion, government, and relationships, all while being treated to space adventure that is propulsive and interesting. 

  I couldn't put it down,  but it was also very short, so there was no need to put it down. 

I did not like the sort of abrupt, cliff hanger-y type ending but the good part of reading back list books- is that the second book, which continues the story of our Nuns and their unlikely allies, is already available. I do want more space faring nuns. 

I did do this on audio.  The audiobook was well done and did not detract from the story. 

I really do recommend this one, and I can't wait to read more from this author. 

STATS

First Published: 10/29/2019

Pages: 160 pages

Available as an Audio Book : YES  (~ 4 hours) 

Trigger Warnings:  violence, colonialism, religion, plague, infectious disease

(this is not a full list, read responsibly) 

Reading theme 2026!

 Hi Book Friends!

 2026 is coming in hot for all of us. 

New York City. Blizzard of: street scene during blizzard. , ca. 1888. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2007678801/.

Or cold, as the case may be. 

It's time for me to pick a new reading theme. I enjoyed my Water reading thing and because of it, I read a lot of books about the ocean, rivers and water in general. I also read a lot of books with water/rivers/ponds and lakes in the title that turned out to really not be about water. Despite that, I feel that I did discover authors that I would not have explored were it not for the water theme.  So- I'm going to do a new theme for 2026. 

   In the past I've done pirates, monsters and water. 

For 2026... I'm thinking 

Outer Space,

Bones ( not the TV show kind, but definitely forsensic kind as well as the poetic kind), or

Music. 

It's going to be hard to choose. For most of 2025 I was sure it would be outer space, but here at the end, I have been fascinated by the amount of "bone books" out there, and love the idea of music as a theme, so I'm now a bit torn. 

Does anyone else use a theme for each year? 

Book review: The Poet Empress By Shen Tao

 

   I am so appreciative of Macmillan audio for the Advanced listener copy of The Poet Empress! 

I give this one 5 stars! 

         This is an original dark fantasy that draws on ancient Chinese history - particularly court politics and poetic traditions - while telling a fictional story of Wei- a daughter of rice farmers, and a particularly cruel prince- Terran.  Wei enters the court almost by accident and is chosen by Terran to be his wife. Power plays, intrigue and desperation abound in the Azalea court, and Wei- raised far outside of this arena must rely on her wits, to position herself to succeed and stay alive. Magic abounds in the Azalea court, with poetic blessings that can change the world.  What is to become of Wei, Prince Terran, the court and the nation as a whole?  Set in a time of change, you'll want to read - or listen - to find out!  I enjoyed the personal relations, the action, court politics, and overall arc of the story. It is a rare instance where the characters are so well developed that I found myself rooting for  BOTH the Hero/heroine and the villain in the story as each layer of development was peeled back through the novel.  The novel allows a reader to explore what makes a person "morally good" or not and the effects of the sum of our experiences on their future actions and choices.  A great book for certain book clubs, because there is a lot to unpack and discuss.

The story takes quite a few dark and unpredictable turns (Check those trigger warnings), which were heartbreaking and brought up all the emotions.  I especially enjoyed the conclusion which was, again, unexpected, but perfection for this reader. I loved that it did not conclude with the ending I expected! 

 This book is not suitable for all audiences due to some of the very heavy content.  It will be important to review for potential triggers prior to cracking that spine or putting on your headphones. 

In short, this was an excellent combination of historical elements, ghostly influences, and magic. It is an excellent book for those who enjoy Dark Romantasy but want something that doesn't follow the usual storyline.  I'm not going to lie, this is a book that literally made me cry in rush hour traffic. I found it was hard to put down and finished it off in record time.  Eric Yang and Katharine Chin were the narrators and voiced the novel perfectly.  I felt entirely immersed in the story through the audiobook and was never distracted by the narration.  

STATS

First Published: Coming January 2026

Pages: 400 pages

Available as an Audio Book : YES  (~ 15 hours) 

Trigger Warnings:  violence, grief, murder, war violence, death, near death, body injury, food insecurity, classism, Child abuse.

(this is not a full list, read responsibly) 

Book Review: The Sea Captain's wife, by Tilar Mazzeo

     I did not finish this in time for Non-Fiction November, but I have to say this is a good one, and it's release in early December, makes it a great choice for a reader on your list, as it's unlikely they will have already read it! 

Firstly,  the cover is really beautiful and encompasses the narrative so well. 

    This book falls into the category of non-fiction that reads like fiction.

   Mazzeo explores the life of Mary Ann Patten, and her husband Joshua. Mary Ann married young, and adventurously traveled with her sea captain husband on his clipper ship in the 1850's.  They were bold, and brave and had their entire live ahead of them as they undertook a voyage on the Neptune's Car. 

Currier& Ives. Clipper  ship Three Brothers,tons: The largest sailing ship in the world. , 1875. [New York: Currier & Ives] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/90716156/.

On this voyage, Joshua fell gravely ill, and Mary Ann took over as Captain and navigator all while putting down an attempted mutiny. 

She nursed her very ill husband, and brought the ship safely to the San Francisco harbor looking well and ship-shape. Women captaining ships was not the norm at that time, and this afforded Mary Ann some instant celebrity. 

   After a somewhat lacklustre opening which was maybe too heavy on details we jump right into this story of peril and persistence and it held my attention right to the very end. 

In constructing this book, Mazzeo relied on both maritime journals, and her own expedition of the route Mary Ann followed. Mazzeo freely shares when records were slim, and where some of the narrative relies on customs of the time, rather than exact documented events, making this account feel authentic and real- as we all know that even someone who kept a faithful journal would not enter every detail of their lives. The author brings in the historical context of the Gold Rush, traditional sea-faring, and the politics of the day in a way that supports Mary Ann's history and adds a depth to the narrative that is very satisfying, but still easy to read. 

  It's one of the few non-fiction books that had me shedding a few tears here and there. Well worth a read and an EXCELLENT book club choice. 

   I was extremely fortunate to have both the e-arc and then an audiobook version of the book, and I will say I really enjoyed the audiobook. The book was narrated by Laurence Bouvard who did a smooth clear narration that did not distract from the story. In fact I could see the waves crashing over the ship, and sense Mary Ann's exhaustion at various points in the narration! It does seem to me that I always read some really fine books right at the end of the year, and this one, is definitely one for the year! Loved it and recommend it! 

STATS

First Published :December 2025

Pages: 288

Available as an Audio Book : Yes!

Trigger Warnings: violence, death, disease, 

Not a full list - please read responsibly.