April 2017 books

The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars bumped up to four because this book is worth reading, despite its shortcomings. I need to start keeping track of all the books I wish Mark Bowden had written instead - this would be on there! Gessen is too close to so much of this story and so obviously biased by her personal connections to the very long list of people who have been screwed over by Vladimir Putin. I don't doubt that the majority of this book is true or true-ish, but I just needed more perspective and more distance.

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The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am glad this book exists, and it was worth reading, but it wasn't AMAZING. I think it's better this way - I'm glad White House employees are so tight-lipped, even if it makes a book like this one pretty subdued as a result.

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I also re-read the Grisha series, and then handed it off to Miriam. She loved it. This is one of my favorite YA series!