Tag: American politics

REVIEW: The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan

REVIEW: The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Dorothy Gibson was the sort of politician everyone knows – no matter where they’re from – even before she ran for president. But after the election, when her run as an Independent split the ticket and the country ended up with “THAT guy,” she’s infamous. Which means it’s the perfect time for her to write her memoir. Thus, the ghostwriter.

The ghostwriter begins work at Dorothy’s home where they are when they hear Dorothy’s neighbor has died. As Dorothy and the ghostwriter had met the woman the day before her death, they go to pay their respects. And they find a curious collection of people as well as a death with more questions than answers.

Review

This was wild! The ghostwriter’s voice in this is spectacular! It’s the first thing I noticed when I started the book. And it continued to shine – and make me laugh – all the way through to the end.

The core cast around Dorothy and the writer was fascinating. I’m curious if they will stay on in the series or if the ghostwriter will move on to another sleuthing partner in the next book.

The mystery itself was twisty from start to finish. I didn’t predict or expect any of the final reveals. The mystery wrap up was stunning. I wanted something different from the book’s overall ending, but that’s just a matter of preference. This is an excellent mystery in the vein of Christie. Fans of the genre should not miss this one! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken

REVIEW: Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Al Franken is currently a Democratic US Senator for Minnesota. He’s well known for his comedic work, including many years on Saturday Night Live.

This book chronicles Franken’s life from childhood to the present. The book references the 2017 Inauguration and some of the Senate hearings for President Trump’s cabinet, so the book is quite current considering how long books take to publish. Included in the book are family stories, campaign stories, information on political procedures, and criticisms of politicians who lie to achieve their goals. Throughout, Franken focuses on the privilege of serving Americans – and specifically the folks in Minnesota – in the US Senate.

Review

I’ve known of Al Franken since his SNL days, specifically his character, Stuart Smalley. But more recently he caught my attention during the confirmation hearings for Education Secretary DeVos. Because of that, I was curious about this book. My intention was to get it from the library and skim it. I ended up reading it word for word, and then buying a copy for my family to read.

I consider myself an Independent when it comes to politics. There are pieces of liberal and conservative agendas that appeal to me. If I was more conservative politically, I might not have enjoyed this as much. But I appreciate Franken’s emphasis on truth, humor and service in politics. I might not agree with all of his statements or his politics, but I learned a bunch from reading this. And I laughed often.

Be prepared to be offended, especially if you are a conservative and you read this. Even liberal voters may disagree at times. There’s some language, although many times he chooses to censor himself with a milder term like “nincompoopery” with a “USS” notation that he cleaned things up since he’s a senator. The footnotes are particularly enjoyable (although in my e-book version they were all collected at the end of the book which was obnoxious to navigate.).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥