Book Review – Recursion

Recursion is about neuroscientist Helena Smith’s attempts to preserve memories as inspired by her Alzheimer’s-ridden mother. Concurrently, NYPD officer Barry Sutton finds himself investigating a case involving False Memory Syndrome (FMS), a new, mysterious epidemic that’s taking the world by storm. Through his investigation, he becomes entangled in Helena’s work, the side effects of her work, and the toll her work has taken on her and the world. Can Barry and Helena fulfill their purposes in this world? Is there an end to the tasks they’ve set out to do? Or have they entered into a recursion of failures?

The last time I took a leap into Sci-Fi with Book of the Month, I gave 4 stars to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. From that experience, I learned that modern day sci-fi can actually be interesting to me. And so, I leapt again…

Book 24:
Recursion
by Black Crouch

Genre:
Sci-Fi, Thriller

Published:
June 2019

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Recursion is about neuroscientist Helena Smith’s attempts to preserve memories as inspired by her Alzheimer’s-ridden mother. Concurrently, NYPD officer Barry Sutton finds himself investigating a case involving False Memory Syndrome (FMS), a new, mysterious epidemic that’s taking the world by storm. Through his investigation, he becomes entangled in Helena’s work, the side effects of her work, and the toll her work has taken on her and the world. Can Barry and Helena fulfill their purposes in this world? Is there an end to the tasks they’ve set out to do? Or have they entered into a recursion of failures?

Favorite Quote(s):

“Life with a cheat code isn’t life. Our existence isn’t something to be engineered or optimized for the avoidance of pain. That’s what it is to be human – the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other.”

– Black Crouch, Recursion

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.

Pages:
336

My Overall Rating:
4 – I finished this book a couple of days ago and I still find myself thinking about it when I’m doing mindless tasks. It was one I would pick up when I had even five minutes to spare because I just needed to know what was going to happen next. Sold as a sci-fi thriller, the sci-fi aspect wasn’t so farfetched that I rolled my eyes at it, and the thriller aspect kept me absolutely hooked.

If this book were a movie, which it should be, my husband would love it, and I would be hesitant to watch it because of the genre. If he were able to get me to watch it, it would be one that would keep me on the edge of my seat – one that would have me exclaiming aloud my frustrations, fear, and excitement over the things that happen – one that would pull me in far to deeply for my comfort.

So why the 4 instead of 5? Because there were times where I had to reread portions in order to truly understand what was going on. This is not a mindless read. It’s one that requires your full attention, and arguably even the patience to re-read sections in order to understand what’s being said. However, it was worth it.

Book Review – We Were the Lucky Ones

We Were the Lucky Ones follows the Kurcs, a Jewish family with roots in Radom, Poland, through their dispersement and reunions amidst the turmoil of World War II. Despite their similar beginnings, Nechuma, Sol, and their five grown children’s stories take different routes as they flee in different directions from Poland, exhibit different methods of survival and are faced with different fates. Through it all, they attempt to care for each other and keep in touch, and in the end, they might just be the lucky ones…

A book that had been on my radar for a while, I was surprised to see this next one at my in-laws’ house. When they finished reading it, they passed it my way and it sat in my to-be-read stack for quite some time before I finally got to it.

Book 23:
We Were the Lucky Ones
by Georgia Hunter

Genre:
Historical Fiction, WWII

Published:
February 2017

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, We Were the Lucky Ones follows the Kurcs, a Jewish family with roots in Radom, Poland, through their dispersement and reunions amidst the turmoil of World War II. Despite their similar beginnings, Nechuma, Sol, and their five grown children’s stories take different routes as they flee in different directions from Poland, exhibit different methods of survival and are faced with different fates. Through it all, they attempt to care for each other and keep in touch, and in the end, they might just be the lucky ones…

Favorite Quote(s):

“What matters, she tells herself, is that even on the hardest days, when the grief is so heavy she can barely breathe, she must carry on. She must get up, get dressed, and go to work. She will take each day as it comes. She will keep moving.”

– Georgia Hunter, We Were the Lucky Ones

Awards (based upon my brief research):
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction & for Debut Goodreads Author (2017)

Pages:
403

My Overall Rating:
4.5 – Though this book took me longer to read, making me miss my weekly blog post, that had nothing to do with the content of the book. It was one I could have devoured had I had more time and mental energy to commit to it.

I’ve read countless WWII stories, but what was fascinating about the Kurc family was: 1. We Were the Lucky Ones is their true story, and 2. they all took such different methods to survive. Hunter, a descendent of the Kurc family, did a phenomenal job of weaving the stories of her ancestors together, explaining the intricacies of Jewish survival in a time when not many Jews were surviving. I can only imagine the countless number of hours she put into research to make this novel happen – and then to have written it so well is just incredible.

My heart hurts for the Kurc family. Facing a genocide should never have to be in a family history. But I am grateful that their story will not go unheard.

Book Review – Queenie

Queenie is about Queenie Jenkin’s story of pain, processing and healing. When her long term boyfriend requests a “break”, Queenie sets off on the road to finding herself and learning what matters most to her. Along the way, she hits some bumps, makes some mistakes and gets to rock bottom before building back up who she wants and needs to be.

I passed on this next one when it was a Book of the Month contender, but kept it in mind for the future… and then I snatched it up as my reward from my local library for completing the Winter Reading Club. Score!

Book 22:
Queenie
by Candice Carty-Williams

Genre:
Contemporary Fiction

Published:
March 2019

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Queenie is about Queenie Jenkin’s story of pain, processing and healing. When her long term boyfriend requests a “break”, Queenie sets off on the road to finding herself and learning what matters most to her. Along the way, she hits some bumps, makes some mistakes and gets to rock bottom before building back up who she wants and needs to be.

Favorite Quote(s):

“Before I got off the bus, I made an internal list of people who could touch my hair:

1. Me

2. A hairdresser

3. That’s it, that’s the whole list” 

– Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None noted.

Pages:
330

My Overall Rating:
3 – Ugh, I really had higher hopes for this one, it being a Book of the Month option and all. It was described as a clash or cultures, Queenie being a Jamaican British woman. I thought there would be more on that, but the clash was largely surface level.

And on top of that, it was a tad sexually explicit for my tastes. I understand this is how Queenie chose to process her pain, but I didn’t need the details and I would have preferred a more in depth look at the true healing process aside from sex, sex, sex. I think the book took a turn about two thirds in, and I really enjoyed it from then on, but the first two thirds were rough for me.