The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
When we are away for more than a few weeks I need to make sure I have a stash of non-library books to read. This was one I gave my daughter for Christmas and she lent it back to me to read—always buy loved ones books you want to read, as long as you like to read the same books.
From The Storygraph: Some said it was tragic, what happened to the Van Laars.
Some said the Van Laars deserved it. That they never even thanked the searchers who stayed out for five nights in the freezing forest trying to help find their missing son.
Some said there was a reason it took the family so long to call for help. That they knew what happened to the boy.
Now, fifteen years later, the daughter the family had in their grief has gone missing in the same wilderness as her brother. Some say the two disappearances aren’t connected.
Some say they are.
My Thoughts: I did enjoy this, I didn’t see the twist coming at the end. One minor quible was the alternating points of view. Normally I love that style, but in this book I felt it disrupted the story line. 4-stars
Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
From Storygraph: ‘Your ability to change everything – including yourself – starts here’ ELIZABETH ZOTT
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing.
But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with – of all things – her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (‘combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride’) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
Meet the unconventional, uncompromising Elizabeth Zott.
My Thoughts: I finished my PhD in Chemistry in 1998, my supervisor was a dinosaur who had been known to remark when a 3-year female chemistry student pushed the fire button instead of the exit button to get out of the building after hours that “That is why women should not be allowed in the Chemistry lab.” BUT he still took me on because I was good enough. Luckily for me, most of the misogyny was mostly long gone and women were encouraged to continue in chemistry. The book was largely enjoyable, the misogyny tropes were on steroids which produced a cartoonish depiction of the characters—this was not realistic fiction. The thing that took away from my enjoyment was the point of view changed throughout the book, but the voice of each character sounded the same to me. So the dog’s voice was not substantially different from Elizabeth’s voice which I found strange. 3-stars.
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
From Storygraph: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
My Thoughts: This was a wonderful, but sad read. I loved the way the marsh was depicted as a place of wonder and beauty and Kya’s relationship to her place. Absolutely lovely. 4.5-stars.
Comments
17 responses to “Books: July 2025”
Melissa, I had no clue you have a degree in chemistry! And a phd no less- how impressive. Where you working in the field after graduating, research, teaching? I’d love to know more. (In school, I always found chemistry fascinating).
Great points on these books. I have made my way through Judy Bloom’s 400+ page book in France and started another, shorter book on the plane- set in Maine, kind of fall-ish, and cozy. Called “ the one way bridge” – light and an easy read.
I handed in my PhD when I was pregnant with my eldest, and then whenever I had offers of Chemistry work, I was always pregnant or breastfeeding, which does not mix with lab work. I would love to be able to read on the plane but I have to take travel sickness tablets and they make me too dopey.
I’ve read all three of those!
I didn’t know you had a PhD in Chemistry! How fascinating! I had no idea. I went into that book thinking it would be much lighter than it was – I was NOT prepared for all the sexual assault. It was very upsetting! That said I did like it. I liked God of the Woods, but it was a “like not love” and I read the last one a while ago and didn’t like it that much for some reason. I don’t remember the reason!
Yes, the sexual assault aspect in Lessons was a lot.
I’ve read all of these books!
I liked God of the Woods, but it started to feel long by the end. And there was a bit too much timeline flip-flopping.
To be fair, I didn’t finish Lessons in Chemistry because of the sexual assault seen. That did me in.
I enjoyed How the Crawdads Sing and thought the ending was good and a very satisfying way to wrap things up.
Agreed re the ending of Crawdads.
I have not read God of the Woods. I thought Crawdads was too far fetched. A bit contrived? I did not like lessons in chemistry the way most people did. I read it awhile ago so tough to remember but I think it was a bit over the top-?
Lessons in Chemistry was certainly over the top
God of the Woods and Lessons in Chemistry were top reads for me when I read them the years they were released. I loved both but can see your point about the sexual harassment being overdone. I really liked the tv adaptation of it.
I felt less strongly about Crawdads. It was so very popular when it came out but I didn’t love it.
I think we have had every reaction possible to all three of these books just in the comment section.
I have read every book you mention here. Yeah.
My ratings have been slightly different:
Good of the Woods – 2.75* disappointing. Didn’t get the hype.
Lessons in Chemistry – 4* listened to it and the dog’s voice was great so I guess that was better than the book.
Where the Crawdads sing – 5* agree the description of the marsh was beautiful.
I can imagine that listening to a book would allow the various voices to be better differentiated.
I’ve read all those books, too! I think I liked Lessons in Chemistry a lot more than you did, but I sort of think my dog thinks exactly like me, so maybe that wouldn’t have been a problem for me. I do think it was much more violent and graphic than I anticipated based on the cheerful cover with sunglasses on it.
I also liked Where the Crawdads Sing, but as I learn more and more about the author, it feels a little gross. It’s never a good thing to learn about an author’s past!
I have not heard anything about the author, I think I’ll continue in blissful ignorance.
I enjoyed all three of these books a lot! It is interesting what makes someone like or not like a book, isn’t it? I hated the book Wild because I am a long distance hiker and a person who grew up in the woods and hiked the PCT and she was so underprepared and annoying! But a lot of people loved that book and also went and hiked the PCT because of it (because they could see themselves in her maybe, whereas I was like BE BETTER PREPARED! You are going out into the woods by yourself, duh!)
I was a Kinesiology major and Chemistry was the class we had to take that everyone dreaded. I think we have talked about this before…but O Chem was actually WAY better than I thought it would be, because everyone talked so much about how horrible it was. I did not find it horrible, in fact, it made sense and I enjoyed it!
I always enjoyed Chemistry. I was probably better at maths but found Chemistry more interesting which is why I continued with it.
Sorry, I should clarify: I have hiked **parts** of the PCT, not the entire thing!