“Elon Musk” and other short reader reviews
Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well- read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and other readers, to share these mini- reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@ denverpost.com.
“The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year,” by Margaret Renkl ( Spiegel and Grau, 2023): “The drama and worries a nd pa i n that are the warp of my life, woven tightly through the light and love and joy that are its weft, don’t register on the blue jay at all. The earthworms beneath the soil haven’t the least idea of the frets that pluck at my heart. In their rest, I find rest.” With a short essay for every week of the year, Margaret Renkl’s memoir probes the changes in nature, and herself, with insight and grace. These devotions are often uplifting, always wise. Each entry is introduced with a lovely illustration that complements the beautiful prose. This one belongs at your bedside. — 4 stars ( out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“Elon Musk,” by Walter Isaacson ( Simon & Shuster, 2023): Musk has been in the news so much that we think we have heard it all. Yet you can certainly learn something new from Isaacson’s massive study of this quirky entrepreneur. You will have to bring your patience, though, as Isaacson’s approach here is to simply string together vignette after vignette, often jarringly with no segue and also with little analysis. Did I say patience? It’s a long read at 688 pages in the hardback format. But, by the end, you can draw your own conclusions from all the evidence presented about this man and his modus operandi. — 2 1/2 stars ( out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“All Adults Here,” by Emma Straub ( Riverhead Books, 2020): Beginnings are possible at anytime in life, and all the characters in Emma Straub’s multi generation al novel embark with trepidation but courage even while asking questions about the value of their lives and themselves. Aging Astrid, starting a romance with another woman, witnesses an accident that destroys an acquaintance. Her children and grandchildren exhibit insight, nerve and excitement along the way as they grow through setbacks and challenges. A take on how we come to understand ourselves, life in general, and having the pluck to assume responsibility for what we are and become. — 2 stars ( out of 4); Bonnie Mccune, Denver; bonniemccune.com