Review: The Quintland Sisters

The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fictionalized novel about the Dionne Quintuplets, born in 1934, and exploited by doctors and their parents during the height of the Great Depression. The novel is told from Nurse Emma Trimpany's perspective. Just 17 years old when the Quints were born, she remained a presence throughout their early childhood. Emma witnesses the Quints' difficult and frightening birth, the removal of the babies from their parents' home to become wards of the British King, the endorsements, and visitors viewing and observing the girls every day. She and the rest of the nursing team strived to create some sense of normalcy to these extraordinary children living under a microscope.

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Review: The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Chris Scullion
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With The NES Encyclopedia, author and retro-gamer Chris Scullion has released a compendium of all 714 licensed videogames ever released for the original 1980s Nintendo Entertainment System – as well as a huge chunk of unlicensed games that are still being created today.

The encyclopedia opens with a quick author introduction and history of the Kyoto, Japan, based Nintendo company, which was founded in 1889 (yes, 1889!) and got its start manufacturing toys and playing cards. The intro also has plenty of vintage advertisements that were originally found in the backs of comic books or in the Sears catalog, including several for R.O.B. (robotic operating buddy), the console accessory who looked strikingly similar to #5 from the Short Circuit movies.

Of course, the bulk of the book consists of all the videogames themselves. From the games you’ve probably never heard of – Banana Prince, The Trolls in Crazyland, Panic Restaurant – to the classics you and all your friends owned – Tetris, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, Super Mario Bros. – this encyclopedia does a detailed job of including game cover art and screenshots, release dates, software developers, and seemingly unknowable facts for each and every title. The entries also delve into each games’ gimmicks, player reception, innovations, and any controversy resulting from the release of the game.

This blast from the past is recommended for any level of gamer or collector, young or old, that holds a fascination for the beginnings of videogame history.


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Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story of Kya Clark, or “The Marsh Girl,” as the locals liked to call her, is a coming-of-age tale of a very resilient and resourceful young lady. Her family consisted of seagulls and the creatures of the marsh. Abandoned by her mother, her siblings, and eventually her abusive father, Kya had to survive off of the land. She wanted to be a part of society, but the townspeople's judgmental remarks and glares pushed Kya into becoming more of a recluse. This story reminds me of Circe, by Madeline Miller, a girl who was used and abused but in the end became resilient and unstoppable. There are a few key people that Kya allowed in her life, two of whom she fell in love with, and one of whom was found murdered. Of course, the people in the small town in North Carolina pointed at Kya because she was so different. With complex characters (specifically speaking of her parents), abandonment, infidelity, heartbreak, revenge, and mystery, this book can seem like a “soap opera” but none-the-less a great one. In fact, it is so widely loved, it is being made into a film (Thank you Reese Witherspoon!). I recommend that you read this book before you see the movie adaptation of Delia’s New York Times bestseller, Where the Crawdads Sing.


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Review: Keeping Lucy

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in the 1960s and early 1970s, Keeping Lucy is the story of a young mother’s fierce love for her children. Ab and Ginny have a son named Peyton, whose birth had redirected and speeded up all their plans for their futures. Then, in 1969, Ginny gives birth to their second child, Lucy. The doctors tell Ginny that Lucy has heart defects, hearing and vision problems, and would never speak. Lucy was placed in a state mental health hospital. Ginny never had the chance to see her or hold her, and is never allowed to visit Lucy.
In 1971, Ginny’s best friend Marsha sends her a newspaper article about the horrible conditions of the hospital where Lucy lives. With Marsha’s help, Ginny gets a weekend pass to meet Lucy, who is now two years old. While attempting to get her out of the hospital, Ginny discovers that Lucy is a ward of the state, thanks to Ab’s father Abbott, Sr. Ginny and Marsha decide to take off with the children on a long road trip. Along the way, Ginny begins to see that Lucy’s only problem is that she has Down syndrome. This is a heartbreaking yet delightful story of a mother’s unconditional love and her fight to regain custodial rights to a child that was essentially stolen from her.


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