Summer Reading Review Roundup

Now that I’ve published my first book, Twitter Marketing for Microbrands 2020: Tailored Tips for Bloggers, Podcasters, Sellers, Streamers, and More, I’ve realized how important reviews are to an author. With this in mind, I thought I would review some of the books I read this summer:

Hell’s Princess by Harold Schechter. A fascinating look at one of the most infamous criminals of the nineteenth century, Belle Gunness, this book details her crimes, the fire that destroyed her home and surviving children, and finally, her fate, which has been shrouded in mystery all these years. True crime that reads like a novel, I recommend it. One caveat: Kindle in Motion was pretty unnecessary for this book.

Norco ’80 by Peter Houlahan. I was unfamiliar with the California bank robbery, which occurred before I was born, but it has had a resounding effect on policing. The bank robbers had a massive arsenal of weapons and the desperate chase was the catalyst for militarizing the police in the United States. This well-researched book reads like an action movie and courtroom drama, but also illuminates how apocalyptic evangelism can lead to death and destruction. It also covers the effects of post traumatic stress disorder on the police who brought the robbers to justice, and how their police departments did (or more often, didn’t) help them cope with the event.

Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff. Based on thousands of hours of interviews, this book details the stories of those who were on the planes, in the buildings, and in small-town Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United 93 was forced down by the passenger revolt. I was in tears several times while reading it.

Life Will Be the Death of Me by Chelsea Handler. I actually listened to the audiobook of this, and Ms. Handler’s voice cracked several times reading it, proving that the raw emotions behind her words are still there. It’s not funny like her other books (although there are comical moments), but rather it details how she came to realize that she was spoiled, sealed off from the views of regular Americans, and had cocooned herself from their pain–and her own grief over the loss of her brother when she was 9.

100 Side Hustles by Chris Guillebeau. This is a companion to Guillebeau’s podcast Side Hustle School and offers bite-size stories of how people started side hustles ranging from chicken armor to Khmer-language materials for kids.

Not every books I read this summer was worthy of its own review, however. Ratsnakes by Vincent Cefalu read like a hatchet job by a disgruntled ex-employee. The Disappearance of Kristin Smart feels like a collection of blogs outsourced to Fiverr. Possessed: The Infamous Texas Stiletto Murder by Kathryn Casey was just too silly to recommend. Kindle Bestseller Publishing 2019 was too full of recommendations for bad promo companies (seriously, checking them out shows that some of them have spammy social media and don’t bother to attract new readers) and affiliate links for me to be comfortable recommending, although it does contain some gems of wisdom. You Self-Published, Now What? could have benefited from an editor, although some of the tips contained therein seem sound.

I also read some very good books with my daughter, who will be 2 next month:

Terrific by Jon Agee. The story of a very grumpy old man who undergoes one small indignity after another. Charming, deadpan humor. I think I liked this more than my toddler.

Big Bug by Henry Cole. This is a great book for teaching preschoolers sizes. The illustrations are sweet, too.

Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky and Susan Swan. The story of a dad taking his kids to a pumpkin patch, this gorgeous picture book stars shapes in the lead role, with hexagons in honeycombs and rectangular hay. As much as my daughter loves shapes, she was probably too young for this, as the subtle autumn palette just didn’t seem to capture her attention the way brighter books do.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema and Beatriz Vidal. Employing cumulative rhyme (think “The Twelve Days of Christmas” or “The House that Jack Built”), this book takes the tale of a Kenyan herdsman and spins it into a fun read.

Frankenstein: A Babylit Anatomy Primer by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver. This exemplary Halloween read was enjoyed by my toddler this summer as we talked about parts of the body. Using Frankenstein’s creature was an original way to teach about eyes, noses, and toes.

Fiona the Hippo by Richard Cowdrey. Based on the real-life preemie Hippo who we all cheered on when she was born at the Cincinnati Zoo, this book failed to keep my daughter’s attention. But she was a few months shy of her second birthday when we read this and it would be an excellent addition to an older child’s library. The illustrations in this picture book are gorgeous.

Of course, I didn’t spend the whole summer reading. I wrote Twitter Marketing for Microbrands based on my notes while trying to promote my blog, a niche T-shirt line, and a few vlogs and stores and things for clients and friends. I cover what works, what doesn’t, how to keep from running afoul of the site’s rules, and how to craft tweets that will resonate with audiences and draw interaction.

This book was written for those who are niched-down (a microbrand is a brand that occupies a small niche or geographical location) and looking for a way to earn the most engagement on Twitter without breaking the bank buying ads. I noticed that many of the books on the market contain tips that are more appropriate to a business with a dedicated marketing department or virtual assistant. I wrote this book for microbrands hoping to market on Twitter with a minimum of effort and time.

Thank you for reading my Summer Book Review Roundup, and I hope you’ll tell me what books kept you company on the beach this summer.