Book Reviews: Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better At It? by Kim and Penn Holderness

Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better At It?
by Kim and Penn Holderness (395.872 Hol)

You may be familiar with the authors from their YouTube and other media presence as the Holderness Family or their recent appearance on The Amazing Race TV series, which they won. They were also both in the television news industry for a number of years. In this 2021 release the married couple give detailed accounts of misunderstandings, assumptions, and outright arguments/fights they have had over the course of their relationship. These events are used to illustrate ways to develop better communication and relationship skills, particularly for partners/spouses. Their sense of humor, as well as their devotion to each other and their family life, shines through.

 

A lot of the content is based on Penn and Kim’s friendship, and counseling sessions, with their friend and pastor, Dr. Christopher Edmonston. They quote and credit him so frequently that I’m surprised his name isn’t included in the author credits. The book is arranged with a structure that highlights Kim’s and Penn’s sides of a disagreement or other problem they have encountered in their years together and how they, and anyone experiencing similar relationship roadblocks, can resolve it and possibly prevent a recurrence. This personal journal of ‘fighting’, then, is also a workbook for couples who are already experiencing such challenges or are likely to in the future.

 

( official Everybody Fights page on the official theholdernessfamily.com web site )

 

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

 

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Book Review: The Adoption by Zidrou and Arno Monin

The Adoption
by Zidrou (writer) and Arno Monin (artist) and Jeremy Melloul (translator) (741.5 Zid)

At first glance, I figured this graphic novel by Belgians Zidrou (writer) and Arno Monin (artist) was going to be a typical sentimental feel-good story. The cover sums up that impression — crusty old grandfatherly Gabriel faces off against adorable waif Qinaya, and you presume the story is about how an old white guy comes to love the little dark-skinned girl his children have adopted.

 

Don’t be misled — that is part of this complex story, but only part, and not the most important part. In a nutshell, retired Belgian butcher Gabriel does find it initially hard to connect when his forty-something son and wife adoption a little girl in Peru following a devastating earthquake that has left hundreds dead, including little Qinaya’s parents. In the first half of this two-part graphic novel, Gabriel does go through the growing pains of a new relationship and does come to love his incomprehensibly cute new granddaughter. That’s what makes the second half of this story the most important — when it turns out Gabriel’s son cut some corners in the adoption process and actually kidnapped Qinaya, whose parents turn out to be alive. In the second half of this story, Gabriel travels to Peru, first to see Qinaya one last time, but also in a voyage of personal growth and discovery, that leads him back to Belgium and a chance to mend some fences in his family.

 

The artwork in The Adoption is absolutely phenomenal, from the highly detailed and expressive characters, to the well-realized geography — both up close and in scenic backdrops. The storyline is emotional and I challenge any reader not to be affected by the twists and turns.

 

Highly recommended!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The House by Paco Roca, Paul at Home by Michel Rabagliati.]

[ publisher’s official The Adoption web page ] | [ one of many Zidrou author pages for this Belgian writer ] [ official Arno Monin Instagram feed ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)

The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)

(DVD Broken)

 

I hadn’t seen any trailers or promos for this one, so when I saw that the DVD had come out at WalMart, I immediately placed a hold on it at the library. Then my wife ended up bringing home a copy from her library branch before my hold had even come in! Great minds think alike!

 

Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) is a 20-something art gallery assistant whose life is upended by the end of her long-time romantic relationship AND her being fired from the gallery shop she accidentally sabotaged. Lucy has compulsively collected mementos from all her failed relationships — her shelves in the flat she shares with two friends look like a tchotchke shop. A soused Lucy accidentally gets into the car driven by Nick, thinking he’s a Lyft driver, and goes off on an inebriated rant. Nick gives up on convincing her he’s not her driver, and drives her home. Later, she connects back up with him in the boutique hotel he’s remodeling, and a friendship begins. Happenstance leads to one of Lucy’s mementos being put up on the balcony wall of Nick’s “hotel”, with a caption explaining how it represents a broken relationship — and the Broken Hearts Gallery has begun. Lucy’s skills with social media turn the concept into an underground success, and Lucy and Nick become ground zero for people wishing to donate their own mementos of broken relationships.

 

There’s a lot more to this than it sounds — relationships fluctuate, job possibilities come and go, Nick’s future hotel is in question, and the question of “Will Lucy and Nick” every really connect is central to the whole thing. Suffice it to say, despite road bumps and detours along the way, this really is a Rom-Com.

 

I really enjoyed this!

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Broken Hearts Gallery web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Unicorn: Season One

The Unicorn: Season One (2019-2020)

(DVD Unicorn)

 

I never tried to tune this series in when it began on CBS in the Fall of 2019. Now I wish I’d been watching it all along — it’s a very funny and yet touching show.

 

Walton Goggins plays Wade Felton, a landscape architect now raising two pre-teen daughters (Grace and Natalie) following the death of his wife. His support structure includes his best friends, found in the form of two other families — Forrest and Delia (Rob Corddry and Michaela Watkins) and their young daughter, and Ben and Michelle (Omar Benson Miller and Maya Lynne Robinson) and their four kids. The friends try get Wade back into the world of dating, with pushy-but-loving advice, and Wade tolerantly accepts their well-minded interference in his life. “The Unicorn” refers to Wade’s exalted status (in the eyes of his friends), because he’s a loving father and devoted former husband, so he’s as elusive and rare in the modern dating pool as the legendary unicorn.

 

Like so many sitcoms nowadays, there’s a little too much emphasis placed on the pursuit of sex, but when the characters aren’t obsessing about Wade’s sex life, and are simply dealing with their lives and relationships, it hits a home run. Recurring plots about supporting their kids, job hunting, career-building and Wade’s “widows” support group all add to making this an enjoyable part-comedy/part-drama. If you liked Modern Family, you’ll probably love this show! The DVD features a few nice "extras", including some deleted scenes!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Modern Family.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this TV series ] | [ CBS’ official The Unicorn series page ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and a Daughter: A Novel in Notes

by Alice Kuipers (Kuipers)

 

Life on the Refrigerator Door is an epistolary story of one year in the life of a single mother and her 15-year-old daughter. They both are busy and we follow their lives as we read the quick notes they leave for each other on the fridge. Then breast cancer makes a visit.

 

There aren’t notes for each day of the year, rather we see into the segments of their lives yet there are enough notes to follow along with their stories. We watch the self-absorbed teen as she matures, and the mother as she learns to back off.

 

My favorite quote from the book:

 

“Mom,

 

I went to the store. See inside the fridge. I watered the plants. I cleaned out Peter’s cage. I tidied the living room. And the kitchen. And I did the dishes.

 

I’m going to bed.

 

Your live-in servant,

Claire”

 

A very quick read; have a box of tissues at the end.

 

[ official Life on the Refrigerator Door page on the official Alice Kuipers web site ]

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Love and Meaning After 50 by Julia Mayer and Barry Jacobs

Love and Meaning After 50

by Julia Mayer and Barry Jacobs on behalf of AARP (306.7 May)

This book is an excellent look at all the many things that couples face after age 50: caregiving, downsizing, and health issues to name a few. Each section includes a survey for couples to take together to start communicating about the future. The chapters feature examples from these well-known psychologists and they offer suggestions to build your relationship through respect, love and communication.

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

Book Review: My Brother's Husband, Vol. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 1.
by Gengoroh Tagame [741.5 Tag]

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 1. is a Japanese graphic novel about a single father and his daughter — Yaichi and Kana — who take in a special guest. Mike is the Canadian whom Yaichi’s twin brother Ryoji married. Mike is visiting Japan after Ryoji’s death to see the places and meet the people Ryoji told him stories about.

As readers, we see things from Yaichi’s perspective as he struggles with his own prejudices against gay people and guilt over not fully accepting his brother. Kana is the voice of youth, excited to learn about her foreign uncle’s strange taste in food and show off her own country. Kana’s questions about homophobia stir her father into rethinking his own views farther.

This is a funny and touching manga volume about loss, more than one kind of “non-traditional” family arrangement, cultural exchange, and positive fatherhood. It’s billed as an “all ages” comic, but the use of a “WTF!” early on as well as the focus on internal consideration over action in some sections makes it most appropriate for either middle & high school readers OR for parents of kids around that age. It’s great for young people worried about coming out. I would even suggest it to people with a lot of anti-gay prejudice. I don’t see how anyone could get through this story without both laughing and crying along the way. I put Volume 2 on hold immediately!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill, or The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang.]

[ publisher’s official My Brother’s Husband Vol 1 web site ] | [ Wikipedia page for Gengoroh Tagame ]

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Unlikely Friendships

Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories From the Animal Kingdom
by Jennifer S. Holland [591.5 Hol]

I've enjoyed seeing posts in my Facebook and Twitter feeds, which shine a light on unusual and uplifting animal relationships, so I was quite please to find this book in the libraries' collection. Unlikely Friendships presents 47 short narratives, with incredible photographs to accompany them, which detail heartwarming and unexpected relationships between two different animals of two different species. You may think that the interactions between your household pets -- a dog and a cat, a cat and a hamster, etc. -- are cute. But you'll be astonished at the interspecies affection displayed by some of the pairings in this collection. Some of the stories have very short lives -- an orphaned infant of one species mothered by their potential enemy for the first few weeks of life. Others detail life-long relationships. But all will pluck at your heartstrings. Some of my favorite pairings include: The Elephant and the Sheep, The (wild) Leopard and the Cow, The Lion The Tiger and the Bear, The Nearsighted Deer and the Poodle, The Owl and the Spaniel, and The Rhinoceros the Warthog and the Hyena. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Unlikely Loves, the sequel by the same author.]

[ publisher's official Jennifer Holland web page ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Darling Companion

Darling Companion
[DVD Darling]

I'm a sucker for a sappy movie involving a dog, and the cover of Darling Companion (as well as the back cover blurb) certainly led to think this was going to be a sentimental pet/owner story along the lines of the heartbreaking Hachi. It turned out to be more of a quirky story about human relationships. Written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Darling Companion is very similar in tone to some of Kasdan's earlier works, particularly The Big Chill, Grand Canyon and French Kiss. Beth (Diane Keaton) saves an abandoned dog from the side of a highway, then adopts it and quickly falls in love with "Highway". Beth's work-obsessed ego-centric surgeon husband, Joseph (Kevin Kline - one of Kasdan's favorite go-to actors), proceeds to lose the dog in the woods of Colorado when the family has gathered for a wedding at their summer home. What follows is an ensemble comedy, as various friends and relatives spend the next several days roaming the woods, searching for the missing dog, and forging, breaking and mending bonds with each other. This is a slow-paced movie, which relies on the viewer's interest in the characters and their evolving relationships to maintain interest rather than a rigorous plot. The performances are charming, particularly Kline, Keaton, Dianne Wiest and Richard Jenkins. The setting and music are engaging, and I highly recommend this if you enjoy "character studies", rather than plot-driven films. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Grand Canyon or The Big Chill.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe to Scott's monthly booklist newsletter It's All Geek to Me! - on the Books, Movies & More newsletter sign-up page].

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Darling Companion web site ] 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Staff Recommendation - The Opposite of Love

The Opposite of Love
by Julie Buxbaum

Julie Buxbaum is a laywer-turned-author whose first novel is a funny, sad tale of finding oneself. Emily sabotages her relationship because she thinks her boyfriend will leave eventually, so she should beat him to the punch. Her mother died when she was fourteen and her father is distant. How Emily finds out who she really is and what she's really made of is not the usual chick-lit journey. -- recommended by Deanne J. - Gere Branch Library
[ Julie Buxbaum's official web site for The Opposite of Love ]
Have you read this one? What did you think?

Ten new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.