Lost & Found - A Memoir by Kathryn Schulz

 Lost & Found - A Memoir by Kathryn Schulz
[Review]

Publisher: PICADOR
Page Length: 256
Hardback Edition: £14.99
Release Date: 28.04.22

Synopsis

'An extraordinary gift of a book, a tender, searching meditation on love and loss and what it means to be human. I wept at it, laughed with it, was entirely fascinated by it. I emerged feeling a little as if the world around me had been made anew.' – Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk and Vesper Flights

Eighteen months before Kathryn Schulz’s beloved father died, she met the woman she would marry. In Lost & Found, she weaves the stories of those relationships into a brilliant exploration of how all our lives are shaped by loss and discovery - from the maddening disappearance of everyday objects to the sweeping devastations of war, pandemic, and natural disaster; from finding new planets to falling in love.

Three very different American families form the heart of Lost & Found: the one that made Schulz’s father, a charming, brilliant, absentminded Jewish refugee; the one that made her partner, an equally brilliant farmer’s daughter and devout Christian; and the one she herself makes through marriage. But Schulz is also attentive to other, more universal kinds of conjunction: how private happiness can coexist with global catastrophe, how we get irritated with those we adore, how love and loss are themselves unavoidably inseparable. The resulting book is part memoir, part guidebook to living in a world that is simultaneously full of wonder and joy and wretchedness and suffering - a world that always demands both our gratitude and our grief.

A staff writer at the New Yorker and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Kathryn Schulz writes with curiosity, tenderness, erudition, and wit about our finite yet infinitely complicated lives. Crafted with the emotional clarity of C. S. Lewis and the intellectual force of Susan Sontag, Lost & Found is an uncommon book about common experiences.

Purchase Link
Waterstones|WHSmith

Review

Typically, I don't read memoirs but after seeing the beautiful cover and the synopsis, I thought that this may just be the perfect memoir for me. 

This memoir is written like an eloquent poem which captures Kathryn's memories beautifully. This book is written in three parts, each as interesting as one another and is based on the title of the book. Each part covers how as humans we deal and approach things that we have lost, and how we go about finding and the "&" that combines things together.

This book really dives into the frustration that we feel as existential beings that have lost something and that in the end we lose everything, including the ones we treasure the most. 

We discover that Kathryn in the months before losing her father, met the woman of her dreams and how love can help carry you through the painful process of grief. 

You discover that amidst all the pain, Kathryn goes on to build a happy life with her wife including a wedding, a new home and eventually an addition to the family.

If you enjoy memoirs, then this one is profoundly moving and really opens your eyes to what it really means to be human.

About The Author

Kathryn Schulz is a staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of Being Wrong. She won a National Magazine Award and a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for 'The Really Big One', an article about seismic risk in the Pacific Northwest. Her TED talks have been hugely popular: 'Don't Regret Regret' (2.5m views) and 'On being Wrong' (5m views). Lost & Found grew out of 'When Things Go Missing', which was originally published in the New Yorker and later anthologized in The Best American Essays. She lives with her family in Maryland.

Follow Kathryn Schulz on Twitter: @kathrynschulz

 Unlucky Charm by Aidan Lucid
[Book Review]

Print Length: 112 pages
Publication Date: January 5th, 2022

Book #2 Hopps Town Series

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

Darkness Comes From The Most Unexpected Of Places!
A New Threat Comes to Hopps Town

Following the events of, The Scavenger, we now find Jared a year later, on a two week break from college. He thought this would be a relaxing visit home then it happened, something so dark he felt a strange sense of deja-vu.

Across town we find Reggie Danes and Zane Miller who’ve been friends for over ten years. After Zane purchases an antique pocket-watch, they suddenly find themselves being taunted by past secrets.

Now they must band together to vanquish the demons which plague their lives. Can life ever return to normal?

Will the darkness ever disappear?

Review

A year following the terrifying events that happened in 'The Scavenger', we are now met with Jared who is home from college for a break. Jared is still very much coming to terms with his newfound ability and still finds it overwhelming but when he is confronted by a spirit who warns him that he must find an item, he is at a loss. Jared is clueless as to what item he needs to find, but thankfully his Aunt Maybelle runs to his rescue. 

Two new characters are introduced in this story, Reggie and Zane who are close friends which unknowingly come into possession of a cursed object and before they know it, Zane and Reggie are forced to face their past and their guilt. The only worry is that the past is much more real and present than it should be and presents a very real danger to both Zane and Reggie if they do not get the help they so desperately need. 

Jared and Maybelle with the appropriate abilities try to convince the young men that they can help, but a big problem presents itself. What happens if it's too late to help?

This is a perfect novella for a young adult, it flows beautifully and is an easy fun read for supernatural or horror lovers. 

Another great story from Aidan Lucid, I am eager to read his future work.

Purchase Unlucky Charm at:
Amazon

About The Author

Aidan was born in July 28^th, 1981 in County Kerry, Ireland. Growing up, he always loved reading books, especially those in the fantasy genre. Books on the supernatural also filled his shelves as a kid and still do to this today.

Mr. Lucid's journey as a writer began back in 2002 after having a religious experience. In 2004, he plucked up the courage to send out some of my material to magazines, newspapers etc. and seven items Aidan wrote were published that year. For the next two years Aidan received diplomas of distinction in creative writing and freelance journalism.

Back in April 2005 Aidan began writing, The Lost Son, which was then under a different title. In 2010 it was published by a Texas-based publisher but in 2013, he left that publisher. Mr. Lucid listened to feedback from readers on the novel and made some changes, adding new characters, fleshing out the story a bit more etc. Fast-forward to October 2019, Jongleur Books published The Lost Son. 

Aidan Lucid says, "Writing is my life and it fills me with joy to see people enjoy my works. It’s my aim to let people escape the mundane world we live in and get carried away by the adventures both in The Zargothian Saga books and other future works that will be released over the next few years. As an author, I love listening to the feedback readers give me. It’s always fun to meet and engage with the audience. I love doing interviews and talking about my writing journey, hoping that it will inspire another author to pursue their dream."

For more on Aidan Lucid: About Aidan (aidanlucidauthor.com)

Follow Aidan Lucid on Twitter: @TheZargothian