tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31950450230435753322024-03-11T20:10:07.827-07:00Born and Read in ChicagoAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.comBlogger877125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-7516901965117190702022-01-05T14:30:00.001-08:002022-01-05T14:30:39.946-08:00Favorite Books of 2021<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> A little housekeeping note... I think after almost ten years (ten years???) it's time to retire ye olde blog. I've been tapering off posts little by little in the last few years, getting down to just one a month. To regurgitate what I already post to Instagram/Twitter/Goodreads seems overkill and it takes much more time to craft a post in Blogger than the aforementioned socials - time better spent reading.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I refer back to this space often for book, food, and random life stuff... Who knows? One day I might want to revive things. So, it'll stay on the internets for now. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you've visited here regularly over the years, THANK YOU. And I'm still putting all reviews on <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5775891-andrea-evergreensandbookishthings" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u> and staying active on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/evergreensandbookishthings/" style="text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> @EvergreensAndBookishThings Hope to see you over there!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Andrea</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAQBh9J9Pea4xjG7Qh2ljjKittiAp5FNABQHQvZpbhqr0VvRE8WlBMvnMFTFJNGn8MlIOwKCPXpeYD2rGd9LZ56TV47nitWA48B9J7rE9xleEZzAX7b5sJIlnZkc77xmD0IgbhC3aqElfdxXIwZypzJROQ_W_FZKWAeQwI9baQ5Vu9UQ1KIWWh_kD4=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="3264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAQBh9J9Pea4xjG7Qh2ljjKittiAp5FNABQHQvZpbhqr0VvRE8WlBMvnMFTFJNGn8MlIOwKCPXpeYD2rGd9LZ56TV47nitWA48B9J7rE9xleEZzAX7b5sJIlnZkc77xmD0IgbhC3aqElfdxXIwZypzJROQ_W_FZKWAeQwI9baQ5Vu9UQ1KIWWh_kD4=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Links are to the full reviews of the books when I first read them, with the exception of How the Light Gets In, which I read last month.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/02/january-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Writers and Lovers</a></u> by Lily King</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I almost always have a book that stays with me throughout the entire year, and this year it was Lily King's - a beautiful story of grief and hope.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/04/march-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Caste</a></u> by Isabel Wilkerson</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the many must reads on institutional racism in America, I so appreciated Wilkerson's journalistic writing that was so clear and concise in conveying how we indeed live in a caste system.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/05/april-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Meet Me in Another Life</a></u> by Catriona Silvey</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This was my sleeper favorite for the year, and I adore a novel that is emotional and thought provoking, as well as an author that takes some risks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/06/may-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Crying in H Mart</a></u> by Michelle Zauner</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yep, I agree with all the readers and critics - this memoir that weaves the bonds of family and food is incomparable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/06/may-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Yearbook</a> Seth Rogen</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And, yes, I'm putting this memoir on my list, too! I recommend it ALL THE TIME and I still find myself chuckling about anecdotes ALL THE TIME. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/07/june-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">What Kind of Woman</a> by Kate Baer</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the first book of poetry I've put on my year end favorites, and like the others, it has stuck with me and I think so often on her words that moved me and hit me squarely in the gut. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/08/july-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Project Hail Mary</a></u> by Andy Weir</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The MOST FUN reading experience I had all year. What a ROMP. This was adorable and edge-of-your-seat good times!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/11/october-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">How the Word is Passed</a></u> by Clint Smith</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another must read book on institutional racism that took on the history of slavery in America and how an entire country can delude themselves into such false narratives. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/11/october-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Cloud Cuckoo Land</a></u> by Anthony Doerr</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am a sucker for books with interconnected stories that come together in a poignant way, and Doerr's latest does that AND THEN SOME. Just a beautiful book about books, stories and how they are passed on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">This is everyone’s favorite in the Louise Penny series, right?? RIGHT!? I can’t imagine a better Gamache book than How the Light Gets In, but I have nine more to go, so…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I am so glad that I jumped right back in after the cliffhanger ending of the previous book, The Beautiful Mystery. I timed it perfectly with a Christmastime reading while being buried in snow here in Seattle. Returning to the atmosphere of Three Pines (during the holidays!), the beloved characters (some reappearing from many books back!), so much excellent relationship drama (Ruth an Jean-Guy! Gah!), the standalone mystery dovetailing so perfectly with the drama of the core characters (as per usual!), the most tension filled action sequences she has written, and the absolute perfect ending made this THE perfect book in the series for me.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I am also in love with the title, the Leonard Cohen song, and her story about asking him for the rights to use it. Just everything about it is *chef’s kiss*👌<br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I am slightly afraid to keep going for fear of disappointment… I almost wonder if she thought about ending the books here because it really would’ve been perfect. But, I am itching to get back into them already, so I am obviously so glad I have more in store!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">If you haven’t jumped on the Louise Penny train because, as many people will tell you, it takes a few books to get immersed / why bother with that kind of investment? It is so, so worth it. Similar to some fantasy series, there is a lot of world building and as you get more immersed they become that much more meaningful and well written.</span></span><p></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-57418100894365814662021-12-15T15:10:00.000-08:002021-12-15T15:10:09.964-08:00November Book Reviews<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-tsfgBnvYE9Cl3uXGHG73OgShDRS7xi_U7ZsFdsNrUZqZ8-cbAQLczK5NrgkdGHrbDz_84bNwr2axKQC01MBYg0XF1o-jlnUXeQpMGcL4nzvMhAqHjvOLWo0YC_InJbKvKjECCvhuMM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="1773" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-tsfgBnvYE9Cl3uXGHG73OgShDRS7xi_U7ZsFdsNrUZqZ8-cbAQLczK5NrgkdGHrbDz_84bNwr2axKQC01MBYg0XF1o-jlnUXeQpMGcL4nzvMhAqHjvOLWo0YC_InJbKvKjECCvhuMM/w400-h400/8E7F0943-D4A7-45E1-BCED-F1171E132FF8_1_102_o.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982144401" target="_blank"> Damnation Spring </a>by Ash Davidson</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Many thanks to Netgalley</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> and Scribner Books</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> for the digital ARC of damnation Spring by Ash Davidson! I highly recommend this book if you like settling in with a community, getting to know a wealth of vivid and complex characters (the kind you think about when you aren’t reading), with an excellent slow burn of increasing tensions that come to an emotional conclusion. And it’s a heartbreaker.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I was initially drawn in by the very familiar Pacific Northwest atmosphere, and could picture it all so clearly. This was an especially impactful read after having finished The Seed Keeper and listening to Braiding Sweetgrass on audio. The author is from this logging area of Northern California and, though she is not indigenous, I think she represented her indigenous characters well. So many themes to unpack on environmentalism, and how we take care of ourselves, our families. This book will stick with me, and I highly recommend it - with the caveat of major trigger warning for miscarriage and stillbirth.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780593336823" target="_blank">The Love Hypothesis</a> by Ali Hazelwood</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The hype was real on this contemporary romance! I'm glad I knew going into it that the author workshopped her Star Wars Kylo and Rey fan fiction into this story about two modern day scientists. For one: yay for smart and successful female leads! And second, yay for putting Adam Driver in my head as the hopelessly in love, but romantically inept, male lead. Swooooooon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781571313560" target="_blank">Braiding Sweetgrass </a>by Robin Wall Kimmerer</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I finished Braiding Sweetgrass over the Thanksgiving holiday, which was serendipitous and I highly recommend googling the entirety of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. A small quote that encompasses much of the book’s themes:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="color: #262626;">“We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things.”</i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Our </span><a class=" xil3i" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/evergreenreaders/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" tabindex="0">#evergreenreaders</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> book club pick was a perfect nonfiction book to dive into after finishing The Seed Keeper and Damnation Spring. Kimmerer’s way of illustrating science and nature through personal stories about her family, her tribe, and her students is so engaging. I bounced back and forth between print and mostly audio, and it felt like I was listening to a lovely guided meditation with a message. I learned so many fascinating things about lichen! pond scum! maple syrup and squirrels! cattails! and, of course, the erasure of Indigenous cultures and their efforts to forge new traditions. This book is so informative and just lovely.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984851598" target="_blank">The Magic Fish</a> by Trung Le Nguyen</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My daughter picked this up during one of our trips to Third Place Books and insisted that I read it after reading it with lightning speed. I must say, that I was a little confused about who was who, in relation to the main character </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tiến at the outset. But once I got my bearings as to where I was in time, or reality, I found this book to be so engrossing and the illustrations of the fairy tale sections are just GORGEOUS. I loved how Nguyen straddled several storylines without it feeling as if one was given short shrift. My heart ached and swelled for Tien, as well as his parents. As always, I highly recommend picking up graphic novels, as they convey so much emotion and drama in a way that words alone cannot.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780451490841" target="_blank">The Heart Principle </a>by Helen Hoang</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another romance novel that lived up to the hype! I thought Hoang's debut, The Kiss Quotient, was excellent and missed her second novel, but couldn't resist grabbing The Heart Principle from the lucky day shelf at the library. And, as I had read about in the million glowing reviews, Anna goes on a journey to hell and back, and the narrative is quite dark. It made me rife with anxiety for her and I wanted to scream at multiple characters and multiple occasions. And major f</span><span style="font-family: arial;">orewarning about the realities of grief and family strife during hospice. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">But, damn, I applaud Hoang for tackling really difficult stuff that is close to her personally as a person on the autism spectrum and who has dealt with taking care of a loved one who is dying. It is still a great romance, quite steamy/open door in parts, with the absolutely requisite happy ending!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781439152812" target="_blank">The Secret Keeper </a>by Kate Morton</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I picked up this back list Kate Morton because I always think of her mysterious literary fiction as excellent reading for the cool and rainy days. Somehow I missed what seems to be everybody’s favorite, the secret keeper. Just like all of her books I’ve read before, it was an engrossing read with great characters and family dynamics. But, I felt like I knew the twist very early on and I didn’t realize it was a World War II novel which feels kind of stale to me - but perhaps this is why it’s one of her most popular? If WWII historical fiction is your jam, it's a perfect entry point to Morton's excellent work.</span></p><p><br /></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-49370324532674840762021-11-11T14:18:00.000-08:002021-11-11T14:18:48.918-08:00October Book Reviews<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkCclUDPrk0t3TKBpMn_HMwPMaVRvu3IbJRKV6DO19vFBtNZJBzsE3BwlECB1wIIUmRWYDJegcZhHH6okPIHToN3I92nTIoMb2qnYbbtzdefhlVuDkw_yRNoLncLPnNgTjqkx_nY3WX0/s2048/1F4CC315-529C-4914-A730-AB0309910065.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkCclUDPrk0t3TKBpMn_HMwPMaVRvu3IbJRKV6DO19vFBtNZJBzsE3BwlECB1wIIUmRWYDJegcZhHH6okPIHToN3I92nTIoMb2qnYbbtzdefhlVuDkw_yRNoLncLPnNgTjqkx_nY3WX0/w400-h400/1F4CC315-529C-4914-A730-AB0309910065.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Romancing Mister Brigerton by Julia Quinn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>To Sir Philip with Love by Julia Quinn</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I plowed through three Bridgerton novels at the beginning of the month, as it was kind of a crappy time around these parts. Reading during times of high anxiety is always difficult for me, but thank goodness for these novels! It’s rare that I go from one book in a series right into another, but after finishing An Offer From a Gentleman, I immediately got the next two in the series.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Julia Quinn makes these characters come to life in such endearing ways, her pacing is PERFECTION, the dialogue crackles, and I love that sometimes the central conflict isn’t so straightforward.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I completely lose all sense of time and my surroundings when reading these and always highly recommend.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I HIGHLY recommend both of these books, and reading them back to back was unplanned but perfect pairing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I’m so glad My Monticello was in my latest Third Place Books </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">signed first editions box. A collection of short stories (finishing with the titular novella) that were lyrical, visceral and absolutely haunting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Clint Smith’s How the Word is Passed (on the National Book A</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">ward long list for nonfiction) begins with his visit to Monticello. It’s beyond eye opening, heartfelt, and so necessary right now when such a loud minority of our great nation is trying to ignore learning from our past, or push completely false narratives (The civil war wasn’t about slavery! Enslaved people were happy!🤥🤬) And it is excellent on audio.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">I finished Cloud Cuckoo Land over a week ago and have been struggling to find the words to describe why I loved it so much. I think that many book reviewers can agree, it is really hard to review a book that you love! (And pretty easy to explain why you dislike a book!)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">If you want to read about why Doerr’s latest is well written and excellent, definitely check out the New York Times book review. It’s what convinced me to buy it, rather than waiting for my library hold.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">I’m pretty sure this doorstop of a novel landed on my all time favorites because I am a sucker for interconnected stories that come together in a surprising and poignant way, recurring motifs, and secular musings on the meaning of life. It also came out came at the right time for me: when I was really wanting to sink my teeth into something after devouring a lot of romance, and feeling a little sad and lost - like each of the protagonists in the story. I found such lovely reassurance about the human spirit, of perseverance, of hope. I was reminded that pain and loss, our impermanence, are also what makes life meaningful. And books about the wondrous nature of the written word? Yes, please.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">“By age 17 he’d convinced himself that every human he saw was a parasite, captive to the dictates of consumption. But as he reconstructs Zeno’s translation, he realizes that the truth is infinitely more complicated, that we are all beautiful even as we are all part of the problem, and that could be part of the problem is to be human.”</i></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Displacement by Kiku Hughes</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I stole this graphic novel from my 11 year old's school library pile and read it in an evening, and it it is a wonderfully told story based on Hughes' grandparents story of being sent to Japanese internment camps after WWII. The way she presents the harsh realities of this often overlooked piece of history is perfect for young readers, as the main character in present day is transported back in time and swept up into this terrible situation, forcing one to put themselves in the shoes of those who lost so much.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Slowly, but surely, I'm making my way through the Inspector Gamache books and I loved spending time with beloved characters again. This installment was a departure from most of the others in the series. Similar to Bury Your Dead, the setting was not in Three Pines, and it focused much more on the relationship between Gamache and his right hand man Beauvoir. A monastery of monks who have taken vows of silence was a fascinating backdrop for a murder mystery and Penny's writing was so atmospheric and immersive. Really liked this one and the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, so I might move on to the next one soon!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">The Seed Keeper was my</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> book club pick for October and would be an excellent choice for November, Native American Heritage month. This is a multi generational story of a Dahkota family and their enduring spirit despite the horrors of colonialism, past and present. It’s a beautifully told story about how our past affects our future and reminded me of of reading Barbara Kingsolver, with threads of historical fiction and current themes on environmentalism. My only critique was that I wanted MORE. More of Rosalie’s story in the present day, and more details of her great grandmother prior to their subjugation. Braiding Sweetgrass was mentioned in the author’s note, which is our nonfiction November book club pick, and I’m looking forward to reading more indigenous literature this month!</span></span></p><p><br /></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-13790164224494934022021-10-17T12:37:00.000-07:002021-10-17T12:37:00.826-07:00September Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_C3tPQLHfljjFwPRhJtp9LMUcQxiCTXasG_E9EVwyROvka_FCDjMK0XMzdYzVdQ3FQdBLNkf5SQc3oYmsp0TlTfdazvoWmMOR31K-ELPGpl6Os6zeh92fdn4rgCE_MaNi0NN1bVL-rY/s2048/356A7981-358B-4827-8440-A1C9FADBD5A5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_C3tPQLHfljjFwPRhJtp9LMUcQxiCTXasG_E9EVwyROvka_FCDjMK0XMzdYzVdQ3FQdBLNkf5SQc3oYmsp0TlTfdazvoWmMOR31K-ELPGpl6Os6zeh92fdn4rgCE_MaNi0NN1bVL-rY/w395-h400/356A7981-358B-4827-8440-A1C9FADBD5A5.jpeg" width="395" /></a></div><br /><p><u style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780063007444" target="_blank">And Now I Spill the Family Secrets</a></u><span style="font-family: arial;"> by Margaret Kimball</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Periodic reminder! Illustrated/graphic novels and memoirs are such a wonderful way of comprehending an author’s art.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">And Now I Spill the Family Secrets </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">was such an engrossing memoir. The nostalgic and melancholy tone (as well as a family dealing with the fallout of mental illness) reminded me of Fun Home, but more linear and accessible.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">There is a lot to absorb on the subject of mental illness, how society affects each generation in different ways, and the devastation it can wreak on a family. Yes, it’s often sad, but so moving and well done.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">*Major trigger warning for suicidal behavior.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982171292" target="_blank">The People We Keep</a></u> by Allison Larkin</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This coming of age novel has one of the more endearing main characters I have come across, albeit frustrating in her choices, and the author examines very realistic scenarios of how children can become homeless. I felt invested in April’s journey, and the pages went by quickly as I was eager for her happy ending. However, the overly solicitous kindness of strangers and insta-love seemed too far fetched, and things became increasingly unrealistic as the plot snowballs towards an ending that was rather twee. But we can all use a little schmaltz right now, right?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250301703" target="_blank">The Silent Patient </a></u>by Alex Michaelides</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve started listening to backlist thrillers on audiobook, which has been a lot of fun. Normally I’m a nonfiction audiobook reader, but I have been in the mood for less reality and it’s been a perfect way to see what the fuss is about with books I normally wouldn’t pick up. This psychological thriller was pretty compelling on audio, but still a little slow paced for my liking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781501160837" target="_blank">Anxious People</a></u> by Fredrik Backman</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I keep trying Backman books because they are so popular</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">, and I find the discussion around them fascinating. Yet there definitely seems to be a polarizing component to his work. And increasingly I find myself in the ‘it’s just not for me’ camp. I disliked A Man Called Ove, felt that Beartown was quite good, but now Anxious People is swinging back towards that sense of emotional over-manipulation I got with Ove.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I will say that I absolutely admire his sense of humor and prose: he deftly conveys complex facets of the human condition.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">“That’s an impossible thing for sons to grasp, and a source of shame for fathers to have to admit: that we don’t want our children to pursue their own dreams or walk in our footsteps. We want to walk in their footsteps while they pursue our dreams.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Yet his stories feel more like parables, and characters typecast. The narrative structure for Anxious People was odd and hard to get my bearings. Though I eventually found it entertaining and found myself intrigued by the story and the interaction between the characters, but… in a detached way. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig landed similarly for me, which is also a hugely popular novel. So, your mileage will definitely vary! I will say if you are a fan of the one author you will probably be a fan of the other.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781524743093" target="_blank">The Last Time I Lied</a></u> by Riley Sager</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was another attempt at trying out thrillers on audiobook, and my first Riley Sager book. I was sucked into the atmospheric writing straight away, which had a very Gothic feel even though it’s a “camp experience gone awry" narrative which I found uninspiring. It seemed to drag on when the action should have set in midway through, too many red herrings, and an ending that left me with more questions than answers. It was a surprising one I didn’t see coming, at least, but doesn’t seem to hold water. I don’t know. I just don’t think thrillers are for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780063065390" target="_blank">A Thousand Ships</a></u> by Natalie Haynes</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The only retellings of Greek mythology that I have read are Madeline Miller’s books, and I have been meaning to read other authors. This was really well done and all encompassing. While I enjoyed getting such a broad view of the women of The Odyssey the author packed in to this novel, admitting that she couldn’t fit all that she wanted, I think I would have enjoyed a more narrow story about just one of the women. Or perhaps even just the women of Troy who anchor the book with their story told throughout. Though, if you are new to Greek mythology and don’t mind juggling a lot of names and relationships, it is a fantastic overview that gives a taste of just how fantastic the stories are in Greek myth.</span></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-37641419969244311662021-09-10T14:35:00.002-07:002021-09-10T14:35:53.799-07:00August Book Reviews<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPD3Mdg7qNwAtBcD8XXrScd3yzTcvgoTVD1TB1QdivuD1ldyC10V0Ks3GPBWF7kzymt2MeFHiKK5gInps34nu2cJGfcqgQIRzaImcEmLyTRO_eW63i5a4az6_NNvggMZiG8NrBapQBfC8/s2048/E5A8479F-64AE-40D6-B30E-2404D4E20AE4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPD3Mdg7qNwAtBcD8XXrScd3yzTcvgoTVD1TB1QdivuD1ldyC10V0Ks3GPBWF7kzymt2MeFHiKK5gInps34nu2cJGfcqgQIRzaImcEmLyTRO_eW63i5a4az6_NNvggMZiG8NrBapQBfC8/w400-h400/E5A8479F-64AE-40D6-B30E-2404D4E20AE4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525555216" target="_blank">The Anthropocene Reviewed </a></u>by John Green</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I forgot how much I enjoy Green‘s voice, and this book was like a balm during a trying summer. I think it’s the first book I’ve read that was written during Covid and acknowledges our current reality, which helped give me perspective. I found his essays fascinating, funny, heartbreaking and hopeful. You would think that an essay on “researching strangers on the Internet” would be totally tongue-in-cheek, but it brought me to tears. All around really powerful and wonderful stuff - excellent on audio.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780385697248" target="_blank">Grown Ups </a></u>by Marian Keyes</b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A lovely family saga with all of the Irish colloquialisms (Grand! Right, so!), of which I am a sucker for. The characters are all deeply flawed, but not unlikeable, and the narrative took turns in some unexpected directions. I would say it was a tad too long (didn't need to be over 500 pages) and MAJOR trigger warning for disordered eating. But if you are looking for a lovable and dysfunctional family drama (with a side of European vacation) to immerse yourself in, it’s a good choice.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984806758" target="_blank">People We Meet on Vacation</a></u><span class="Apple-converted-space"> by Emily Henry</span></b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Last book of the summer reading season for me, and it was a JOURNEY reading People We Meet on Vacation!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I used my Book of the Month</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> birthday credit grab this buzzy book, and I have to admit, it stated off on the wrong foot for me. I kept thinking what kind of college age humans that are clearly attracted to each other stay “just friends“ for so long, and is this ripping off when Harry Met Sally!? Alas, the author was intentionally honoring the great Norah Ephron, and being “just friends” that meet during a drive home from college are where the similarities end.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Soon I became drawn into their inside jokes which felt so authentic, Henry</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> has my kind of sense of humor. And I also felt that she treated the high school trauma that Poppy carries with such care and authenticity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Usually I get frustrated with romance novels where the basis of tension is miscommunication or no communication at all. Yet when the threads of the story come together between Alex and Poppy, it actually makes perfect sense and I adored the ending. Deserving of the hype! Recommend!</span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780593135051" target="_blank">The Space Between Worlds</a></u><span class="Apple-converted-space"> by Micaiah Johnson</span></b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was in the mood for some fast paced and engrossing sci-fi, and I am glad I picked up this novel that published last summer. The story grabbed me right away, I was hooked on this authors concept of a multi-verse and excellent world building. Though when the plot went in the weeds with political/palace intrigue, my interest started wane. Overall, though, the ending was satisfying, and the themes were thought provoking.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525654711" target="_blank"><u>Nobody Will Tell You This But Me</u> </a>by Bess Kalb</b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This memoir as ode to the author’s grandmother was so wonderful and moving. Everyone should be so lucky to have a grandmother like Bobby. I kept thinking I hope I get to have children to spoil and be a part of their lives the way Bobby was for Bess. Not that their relationship was perfect, and Kalb writes with such sincerity the realities of maternal relationships. I also quite enjoyed the way she outlined her family history, which could be the same story of so many immigrants that came to New York, told in such a loving, funny and bittersweet way. This was such a fabulous book - excellent on audio.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9798623912671" target="_blank">Only When it’s Us</a></u> by Chloe Liese</b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Liese’s Bergman brothers romance novels are favorite series on Bookstagram, so I decided to dive in and see what all the fuss was about! The character development in the book is excellent, but the constant non-communication gets a little old for me as a romance trope. Although there are very specific reasons in the beginning of this book, then more emotional reasons why the characters hold their cards close to the vest as the book goes on - understandable, but still got a bit stale and repetitive. The non-romantic relationships (Willa and her mother/Ryder and his family) kept me engaged while the romantic leads kept repeating mistakes. When the HEA finally arrives, it gave me all the warm and fuzzies. I also thought that grief, disability, and mental health were written with such care.</span></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-32782621827163375312021-08-11T13:04:00.003-07:002021-08-11T13:04:46.775-07:00July Book Reviews <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi__vcY_lWhI2nIKNhKfd4tn4EfhK1GFjo-jBJvGsVV___Lf8G38o5yhgHN8DCNQCWvgZvhcXTRzkRGhPP50gach5x-jm3e4DV7cOKoTxFQtf_5kygA0pAMbCdWNZvr8Ls5jvsAIZtds/s2048/EF553434-07F2-41F4-AFC1-48136457ABF7_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi__vcY_lWhI2nIKNhKfd4tn4EfhK1GFjo-jBJvGsVV___Lf8G38o5yhgHN8DCNQCWvgZvhcXTRzkRGhPP50gach5x-jm3e4DV7cOKoTxFQtf_5kygA0pAMbCdWNZvr8Ls5jvsAIZtds/w400-h400/EF553434-07F2-41F4-AFC1-48136457ABF7_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250239631" target="_blank"> Shoulder Season</a></u> by Christina Clancy</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">(Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary advance review copy!) Despite some good reviews from folks I trust, this novel of a small town girl taking a job as a bunny at the Playboy resort just didn’t work for me. I was going into it with a lot of high hopes, as I have actually stayed at the resort at the center of the story (now The Grand Geneva), and my mom worked for Playboy’s Chicago offices back in the 70s (first in data entry, then in purchasing, ahem!) and, yes, she met Hef on occasion. I was hoping to love it and recommend it to her. Alas.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">It was just one of those books that felt as if someone were describing a story, rather than putting me into the story - a lot of tell, and no show. Even foreshadowing was announced, rather than implied with the writing, which is a peeve of mine: Little did she know! This is a pivotal moment! Make note! Then big swaths of time go by in the second half of the book in order to come to an ending that was a big slap in the face for the main character that just left me kinda sad.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I also found it weird that it was set in the 80s. There weren’t many markings of the time, except for a concert at Alpine Valley (which I have also frequented!), and I felt as if this was a missed opportunity. Maybe it is because I recently finished an excellent and immersive book set in the 80s where the author wrote multifaceted characters while supplying me with every scent, sound, taste and feel of the time and place. (Malibu Rising, obvi.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Again, this one just did not work for me, but I believe that there’s an audience for every book! The fun tidbits and all of the idiosyncratic rules about working as a playboy bunny ALONE made this book worthwhile. So, definitely pick this up if that sounds entertaining and you want to read a book that does not demand too much of you as a reader this summer.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780593135204" target="_blank">Project Hail Mary</a></u> by Andy Weir</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Project Hail Mary was definitely the most fun reading experience I’ve had so far this year! Like most of the readers who loved it and convinced me to pick this up</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">, I was VERY hesitant despite loving The Martian, because <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2017/11/artemis-by-andy-weir-netgalley-review_14.html" target="_blank">I did not like Artemis.</a></u> I even ended up buying a copy because I didn’t put Hail Mary on hold at the library (convinced I wouldn’t read it) and when I finally caved, the list was just too long to wait! Now I’m so glad I have my own copy to put on the ol’ favorites shelf.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Because of my ignorance around this novel, I went in pretty blind and I definitely suggest this approach. I was surprised at several turns, especially a few whoppers near the end. There’s so much I’d love to tell y’all about why I adored this story, but I’d be giving a lot of plot away. Generally speaking, it has that sense of urgency (much late night reading) mixed with humor that worked so well in The Martian and, dare I say, even better in this novel. The heartwarming feels, too, are off the charts. Like The Martian, it’s an absolutely universally appealing book, not just geared towards sci-fi fans. Amaze! (IYKYK) Please read it and gush about it with me!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780063002654" target="_blank">Nobody, Somebody, Anybody</a></u> by Kelly McClorey</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">(Many thanks to Bibliolifestyle and Ecco Books for the complimentary advance review copy!) If I were to summarize this novel, it would seem pretty straightforward. It’s about a woman trying to turn her life around when she goes to shambles after the death of her mother. And yet…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">There was something foreboding about Amy’s inner thoughts, about her feelings of unworthiness and self-loathing that seemed tied to some horrible actions on her part. I kept expecting a major reveal as to why she acted the way she did, sometimes rather alarmingly. Alas, even though the narrative is reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, there was no real denouement and the ending was open to interpretation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I did find Amy to be a fascinating character, the relationship she began to forge with her landlord was endearing, and it was a super fast read. But, contrary to the publisher’s description, I never once laughed out loud - or quietly. The overall tone felt sad and anxiety ridden, a tale of someone in desperate need of mental health care. I think it’s a read-alike for fans of Convenience Store Woman, and it would definitely an interesting book club selection.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781949199734" target="_blank">The Secret Lives of Church Ladies</a></u> by Deesha Philyaw</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This collection of short stories was INTENSE. I laughed, I cringed, I gasped, and I smiled big. I'm always so impressed with short stories that can pack so much emotion and story in fewer words. Not a single one wasted. Listening to the audiobook definitely added to the intimate feeling of each woman's story, like a girlfriend whispering some JUICY gossip in my ear. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250241702" target="_blank">Finlay Donovan is Killing It</a></u> by Elle Cosimano</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Chalk this one up to 'Bookstagram made me do it' and it was cute, it was fine. This story of a divorced mother mistaken for a hitman in a Panera bread and hilarity ensues is just not my bag. If you are looking for something that doesn't require a lot of your attention, this makes for very easy listening on audiobook. For me, the far fetched and silly just didn't grab me. I needed something more and this didn't deliver much more than exercising my suspension of disbelief.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316420082" target="_blank">Golden Girl</a></u> by Elin Hilderbrand</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">(Thank you to Little Brown for the the complimentary finished copy!) I went into this with trepidation. On one hand, it's a summer ritual for me to read her latest book. On the other, I have been disappointed with some of her choices as an author - practically bullying folks who give her book even a slightly negative (but not mean) review, and the <u><a href="https://lithub.com/the-queen-of-beach-reads-has-come-under-fire-for-casual-anti-semitism-in-her-latest-book/" target="_blank">thought process behind a few lines in this particular book</a></u>. However, given that she has apologized and owned up to her mistakes rather than digging in (looking at you JK Rowling) I gave Golden Girl the benefit of the doubt. It was a usual Hilderbrand read: the pages flew by, the food and atmosphere of Nantucket sumptuous. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Her concept of the main character experiencing the afterlife was fun, in a 'Good Place' kind of way, too. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">However this story was a little too creepily close to her real life. The main character Vivi is also a novelist, of beach reads, on Nantucket, not a native to the island, has three kids plus a Black friend of the family considered a fourth kid, is divorced...THE LIST GOES ON. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The first quarter of the book I seriously was wondering if Elin had broken up with her boyfriend the way Vivi did, thinking hmmmm - he </span><span style="font-family: arial;">hasn't made much of an appearance on her Instagram... Just all around weird feeling! It also felt like a creative shortcut. But, if you are a fan of her novels, this will definitely scratch that yearly summer itch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525542285" target="_blank">The Guncle</a></u> by Steven Rowley</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yep, I am in agreement with all of the glowing reviews: The Guncle is very cute and sweet. It was a perfect summer read, full of brunch (and linner!), caftans, cocktails and Palm Springs atmosphere. The story had some heft and thoughtfulness about a tough topic. No - not about gay uncles, but grief. Each character was dealing with grief in different ways and it felt real, not saccharine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984803160" target="_blank">The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany </a></u>by Lori Nelson Spielman</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This novel really hit all the sweet spots for a perfect wanderlust summer read. Even though I've been to Italy (main tourist spots like Rome, Venice, Florence) I've never been to the coasts and I think the Amalfi coast will be the first vacation my husband and I will take when we are finally able to travel without kids again one day! It's a sweet story about unrequited love and becoming who you are meant to be, not what is expected of you. My only beef is that I have a hard time with characters that let people walk all over them, I get a lot of righteous anger on there behalf and Emilia made me want to scream on multiple occasions. There were one too many missed opportunities for her to stand her ground, and it got a little exasperating. But the adorable great aunt Poppy and her sweeping love story made up for my quibbles! </span></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-59161046122622415962021-07-07T14:58:00.000-07:002021-07-07T14:58:07.595-07:00June Book Reviews<p><b> </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3p2Ae91QN33lyd4QYqXmJRxqT6QPWrlF7v16qIej6UfqLlCl7GV_NC5aPBexcs9RjHtxnskYwdcTG4A_JmeYlU5zhUMW313qkm_2ig4mhjMHv2hynnviSmfglB9pUrgKAeslzTIyzX40/s1632/IMG_1563.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1632" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3p2Ae91QN33lyd4QYqXmJRxqT6QPWrlF7v16qIej6UfqLlCl7GV_NC5aPBexcs9RjHtxnskYwdcTG4A_JmeYlU5zhUMW313qkm_2ig4mhjMHv2hynnviSmfglB9pUrgKAeslzTIyzX40/w400-h400/IMG_1563.heic" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250766564" target="_blank">Fire Keepers Daughter </a></u>by Angeline Boulley</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yep. The hype is warranted with Firekeeper’s Daughter. It grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go until the last page. Boulley has written exceptional YA, mixed with thriller and family drama, that sheds light on so many important issues, while being much needed representation for indigenous people in published literature.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One thought I kept coming back to after reading it, was how the history that has been whitewashed in our schooling I inevitably learn through novels or film. I finished this book just before the 215 murdered children’s bodies were found at the residential school in Canada. There are parts of Firekeeper’s Daughter that address these schools, and my thoughts also went to Anne with an E on Netflix, which my daughter and I devoured this year. The show took liberties with LM Montgomery’s source material and included a storyline about an indigenous girl taken from her family. It was excruciating for us to watch, yet so important to understand. I am glad that if kids aren’t being exposed to atrocities we need to learn from in school (yet), they will learn about them through books and other art forms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am so glad Higher Ground productions optioned this for Netflix, giving even more of an audience for this wonderful story. I definitely plan on putting in my kids hands, too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780140189704" target="_blank">The Age of Innocence </a></u>by Edith Wharton</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">The story of Newland Archer (who is just as pretentious as his name sounds), and his struggle with the status quo/keeping up appearances while falling for an independent woman he can’t have, and courting another who is his destined match, was slow going for about the first quarter of the book. There is a lot of superfluous detail that bogged me down. Though, much of this detail would be illustrative for readers during the era in which it was published in 1920. Down to the type of furniture, art, opera seats, or cross streets of homes gave so many clues about the characters. But to someone in 2021? Not so much. I’m reading a book now that references Instagram stories, and I wonder, just as with this novel, how will it be received decades from now?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">By the halfway point I began to see Wharton’s subversiveness in regards to Archer, and what a rather ridiculous character he is, while the women seem to be cunning and calling the shots - all while the men remain oblivious. Her narrative choices made me think more about perspective and who’s telling the story. I so wish that she wrote another version from one of the women’s point of view.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Overall, I am glad I read it and the ending was quite memorable. I am so grateful to <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/stephaniereads/" target="_blank">StephanieReads</a></u> for providing such interesting material to chew on while reading - from articles about Wharton’s life (which is definitely imbued in her work) to pictures of homes during that period. (The summer homes of rich Gilded Age New Yorker’s are something else!) Everyone should subscribe to her newsletter to reference whenever you might decide to pick up a classic from her list of buddy reads!</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781534446007" target="_blank">Yolk</a></u> by Mary H.K. Choi</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><i>“It’s easier to watch myself be sad than actually feel sad.” </i></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">Oof. If you are into books that wreck you just a little bit, but leave you hopeful, Yolk is IT.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">It took me a few dozen pages to get my footing in the narrative. Things felt abrupt and unexplained at first, being thrust into Jayne’s gritty reality as a cash poor art student in New York. But I quickly became invested in her life, and the reconnection with her sister June. Choi’s writing is phenomenal, from the searing quote above, to oddly perfect lines that made me chortle: <i>“The bottoms of the produce drawers looked like the contents of a sharks stomach during an autopsy.”</i></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">I’m so glad I had recently finished <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/06/may-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">Crying in H Mart </a></u>- Michelle Zauner’s memoir perfectly compliments this novel of two girls growing up as Korean Americans and all of the family dynamics at play.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">I would also classify this as ‘new adult’ rather than the YA it’s shelved under at my library. I know the YA classification can steer some readers away, and I would absolutely not want that to happen with Yolk - I highly recommend this multifaceted and poignant novel.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984878106" target="_blank">Think Again</a></u> by Adam Grant</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">As the title implies, Think Again is a thought-provoking book about changing minds, and most importantly, changing our own mind. Though a lot of what I took away from Grant’s work seems like common sense, it’s hard to put into practice because of all the self-imposed road blocks he describes. But his words give incentives to continually work on rethinking, adapting, and changing.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">One nugget that stood out to me was that we don’t use the same computers or technology today that we did 20 years ago, so why should our opinions stay the same for that long, too? Our goals and perspective should adapt as we change and grow.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I think that this book would be most valuable to someone who manages others and wants to excel in business, but the data conveyed can be useful to all readers. As a stay at home mom, the information about keeping our children’s minds open to possibilities and change was eye opening and impactful - yes! We should definitely stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up! It’s limiting! I am learning that the data does not support straight A students become more successful adults, and that it shouldn’t be a focus - successful individuals are empirically those that question the status quo, adjust well to change and think outside the box.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><i>“Ultimately, education is more than the information we accumulate in our heads. It’s the habits we develop as we keep revising our drafts and the skills we build to keep learning.”</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781538715642" target="_blank">The Happy Ever After Playlist </a></u>by Abby Jiminez</b></span></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">What a perfect escapist romantic read! I’ve had Abby Jimenez on my TBR for awhile now, and even though The Happy Ever After Playlist is the second book in a series, it sounded like the most fun and well-reviewed, so I just dove in! And I’m so glad I did. Seeing as how happy ever afters are guaranteed in romance novels, I don’t think the spoiled me for reading <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781538715604" target="_blank">The Friend Zone</a></u>: which I immediately put on hold at the library.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">This one starts off a little far-fetched, with the meet cute involving a lost dog jumping into the love interest’s car. But, the sweet and flirtatious banter that ensures between the two characters was adorable and I genuinely liked them both. So when things started to get intense with the inevitable ‘boy loses girl’ roadblocks, I was super stressed out! These people went through some THINGS.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I also found it admirable how Jimenez addresses grief in a thoughtful way, based on the similar experiences of her good friend. </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Excellent binge-able summer fare that I highly recommend!</span></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780063008427" target="_blank">What Kind of Woman</a></u> by Kate Baer</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Stunning. It has been ages since I read a book of poetry. And such a slim volume that can be read in an hour sometimes feels like cheating when it comes to counting a books read. But the thoughts and feelings that Baer </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">evokes are as moving as any novel.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Her hypnotic words evoke such visceral emotions about love and the realities of life as a wife and mother. That an oft used phrase like “When will you be home?” can be crafted into something so lyrical. Reading ‘What Kind of Man’ literally made me tear up with love and gratitude for my husband, and ‘Like a Wife’ made me fist pump and laugh aloud. Just so good.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">My experience reading this reminded me of <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2018/05/books-i-read-in-april.html" target="_blank">Heating and Cooling</a></u> by Beth Ann Fennelly. While not poetry (it’s a collection of ‘mini-memoirs) it’s slim, similar themes, packs a punch, and is written by a poet. I highly recommend both!</span></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982157289" target="_blank">She Come by it Natural </a></u>by Sarah Smarsh</b></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">I remember a while back explaining to my kids who Dolly Parton is - beyond a famous country music singer. I read an article to them about her charitable giving and philanthropic efforts in literacy and putting books in the hands of children all over the world. She is responsible for donating over 130 MILLION books for children. I teared up talking about her, and I teared up a few times listening to She Come by it Natural.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">I wouldn’t say that this was a very in-depth biography of Parton, but a really well done journalistic look at how she has affected and represented women from her small town Tennessee roots, to women worldwide. Learning more about her business choices, how she faced a lot of intimidation, and followed her gut to great success was fascinating stuff.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">It’s inspiring and infuriating and equal measure how far we have come and how far we have to go in treating everyone with the dignity and respect we deserve. Dolly deserves it in spades, and it is very cool to see this happening for her in her lifetime.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525564232" target="_blank">The Most Fun We Ever Had</a></u> by Clarie Lombardo</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><i>"And it was weird, she thought, feeling adult and aware, how a thing so terrible as losing someone could yield goodness in the ones who were left.“</i></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">The synopsis of this book was uniquely appealing to me: multigenerational family drama, spanning decades, set in Chicagoland! I am glad I finally read it, as I enjoyed becoming completely immersed in the Sorensen clan.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">Peppered with poignant and familiar scenes of life, Lombardo’s writing is sharp with characters that leap off the page. To that end, I’m not sure I would recommend this novel to folks who have a hard time with really flawed/unlikable characters. I usually don’t have a problem with it, especially when the writer can illustrate why they are flawed. But it took a long time to come to the realizations about why some of the characters were kind of awful in this book. This story requires some patience and probably could have been edited down from it’s 600+ pages.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;">If you like a slow burn, character driven, and intricate family saga, I highly recommend this novel. Also recommend if you loved <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2019/05/ask-again-yes-by-mary-beth-keane.html" target="_blank">Ask Again, Yes </a></u>or <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2018/06/a-place-for-us-by-fatima-farheen-mirza.html" target="_blank">A Place for Us</a></u> - they’re very similar in scope and tone.</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-73273853243657313692021-06-04T12:24:00.002-07:002021-06-04T12:24:29.740-07:00May Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUWpG485ZnZBGmSaQxVqbrzAeYyriwXlxgF2EEZAPE13qlfjHdS8wGYdogVg3-11RvP7693lxAw7JmFN3ey-bxNTfuiZR_K_Jun_vi21Ql3dECGWfYXRq4hejOf9kqbagwaSm8zLyhsg/s2048/IMG_1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUWpG485ZnZBGmSaQxVqbrzAeYyriwXlxgF2EEZAPE13qlfjHdS8wGYdogVg3-11RvP7693lxAw7JmFN3ey-bxNTfuiZR_K_Jun_vi21Ql3dECGWfYXRq4hejOf9kqbagwaSm8zLyhsg/w400-h400/IMG_1491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525429760" target="_blank">The Book of Longings</a></u> by Sue Monk Kidd</b></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I recently saw a tweet that referenced book lovers feeling like they have failed when an unread hardcover on their shelf comes out in paperback - hilarious because it’s TRUE. The paperback release of The Book of Longings spurred me to read my Book of the Month </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">from last May.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Even though I have loved every book I have read by Sue Monk Kidd</span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">, I was hesitant to grab this one because of the religious material - a story about Jesus’ wife, which he could very well have had, and the author’s note definitely gives evidence it was highly likely. Let’s just say I have a lot of side eye for religion and I am an agnostic. But, it might be better going into it that way than as someone who has deeply held beliefs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">It reads beautifully as the historical fiction it is, and gave me similar vibes to reading Circe, which I loved. Ana is just as indelible and her story is a beautiful tribute to strong women invisibly shaping history, working against the patriarchy - an unexpected surprise for a book about the beginnings of Christianity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">“All shall be well… I don’t mean that life won’t bring your tragedy. I only mean that you will be well in spite of it. There’s a place in you that is inviolate. You’ll find your way there when you need to. And you’ll know then what I speak of.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781524798659" target="_blank">Malibu Rising </a></u>by Taylor Jenkins Reid</b></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Many thanks to Random House for the advance digital copy of Malibu Rising. The latest from Taylor Jenkins Reid</span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> is THE summer novel to read.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">How does TJR do it? With every one of her books I just fall so easily into the story and when I look up, hundreds of pages have flown by. This novel harkens back to her older books, with romantic and family drama taking center stage, and no narrative devices employed like Evelyn or Daisy. A great multiple POV of characters that quickly wormed their way into my heart. I felt so much anger and sadness, hope and happiness, on their behalf. There is a lot to unpack about the repercussions that echo from our family dynamics, and there are several passages about motherhood that were so clearly written from the author’s heart.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">The crazy 80s vibe was a trip, and I felt such a strong sense of time and place: miniskirts, aquanet, coconut suntan lotion, Heather Lockear, surfer culture, fried clam sammies and sand stuck everywhere. I just loved it. I also love how she wove Mick Riva into her last three books. The 60s with Evelyn Hugo, 70s with Daisy Jones and 80s with the Rivas - are the 90s next?! Whatever the time frame or place, California or not, I am here for it and will snatch it up ASAP.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">“June knew that her children had found a previously undiscovered part of themselves that day. She knew that childhood is made up of days magnificent and mundane. And this had been a magnificent day for all of them.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781538746837" target="_blank"><u>We Keep the Dead Close</u> </a>by Becky Cooper</b></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">OK y’all, I think I am going to call it: I do not like true crime books about murder. Not that I I am squeamish or have the heebie-jeebies about it - I mean, The Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorite books of all time!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">For me, these books seem to either drag on with red herrings, too much detail, or the author’s personal story. And in some cases I can see why that is a draw, and why many people enjoyed I’ll be Gone in the Dark. But... I didn’t like that one either.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">We Keep the Dead Close was only interesting to me when the author expounded upon the idiosyncrasies of Harvard (women had different diplomas until 1999!) and the rampant misogyny. I could read a book that focused on those type of things, fascinating stuff I can’t understand with a quick Google search. It’s also morally conflicting, consuming someone’s death as entertainment.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">So, yeah, the thing about murder investigations is that you can easily Google how things went down, but you can’t tell me a whole story about the inner workings of Harvard, or THERANOS, or a guy faking an orchestra from a quick internet search. (The last two referring to two of the crime-y types of books I actually enjoyed: Bad Blood and Sounds Like Titanic.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984831927" target="_blank">House of Salt and Sorrows</a></u> by Erin Craig</b></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">House of Salt and Sorrows was this month’s pick for my </span><a class="xil3i" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/evergreenreaders/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" tabindex="0">#evergreenreaders</a><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> book group, and I had mixed feelings about this gothic YA fantasy, inspired by Grimm’s 12 Dancing Princesses.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">What worked for me: the world building and spooky prose. Craig creates a lush and sinister atmosphere that was transportive. I am also a sucker for a slowly building sense of foreboding, and was definitely creeped out by many of the scenes that bordered on horror.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">What didn’t work for me: the reveal of the villain and their machinations was intriguing, but it comes so late in the text that everything felt rushed and confusing as I turned the final pages. It became hard to suspend my disbelief and the explanation seemed highly convoluted, unearthing more questions than answers. It would be interesting to go back and re-read knowing the ending, but I don’t think I am that invested.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525657743" target="_blank">Crying in H Mart</a></u> by Michelle Zauner</b></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Recently I was striking out with audiobooks... Well, that is certainly no longer the case! I’d compare the experience of listening to Zauner </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">as a mashup of Kelly Corrigan and Ruth Reichl. YEP - total GOATs. I received Crying in H Mart as part of my <a href="https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/signed-first-editions-club" target="_blank">first editions subscription from Third Place Books</a></span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"> - but since I cannot resist memoirs read by the author on audiobook, I also got a copy from libro.fm. </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">This is the first time that I’ve had both mediums of a book and it was perfectly serendipitous.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Listening to Michelle tell her story was so real and raw, I teared up multiple times. I think most women can relate to the complexities of the mother daughter relationship, which is usually fraught at one time or another, and I empathized so much throughout the evolution of their relationship.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I also learned so many new things about traditions and food! It is a feast for the senses, and listening to Michelle talk about food was transcendent. If I was only taking in the print version, I might have glazed over the many, new to me, words involving her Korean heritage. I am so glad to have the print copy to look back at and see on paper. The way that food is so intertwined with family, traditions, memory and love is powerfully illustrated in her prose.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">“There was no one in the world that was ever as critical or could make me feel as hideous as my mother, but there was no one, not even Peter, who ever made me feel as beautiful.”</span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I cannot recommend this book enough, especially the audiobook. And </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">thank you so much to Third Place for putting this on my shelves with my other favorite books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984825407" target="_blank">Yearbook</a></u> by Seth Rogen</b></span></p><p><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Oh my GAWD, this book was such a hilarious ride and I didn’t want it to end!!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">I’m definitely a fan of Seth Rogan's </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">films and his Twitter account. So, when I heard about his new book, and that so many people read their own parts in the audiobook (from his family members to Billy Idol), I snatched it up from libro.fm </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">ASAP.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Obviously, his delivery is fantastic and I was laughing to the point of tears at least a dozen times. But, I also loved the poignancy that breaks through the hilarity of his childhood stories, and the love he has for his friends and family radiates through his words. He’s just a really lovely human, unabashedly himself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">Personal favorite bits that I can’t wait to rehash with my husband after he reads it: Seth’s dad’s sock organization, the Mohel, meeting George Lucas, Kanye, Steve Wozniak, Barack Obama’s press conference, and his flawless hot take on Twitter / anti Semitism.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">This is totally going on the all time favorite audiobooks list. I hope he writes more volumes!</span></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-15655881646670635752021-05-06T12:31:00.000-07:002021-05-06T12:31:09.100-07:00April Book Reviews <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtZtZ1saDcpwikck8ZEzFCjorlstnrScbZTqYyw8VUoEpe1g5UdZpjTA9p2ujcAA0Nbv8MEEZP6zud7xLjvW0Jgxe8kIytfGrRvBc0OZlWZJ0xZSZ3Pys_YPXKv81I7_Xd4JykpeM-_s/s2048/D6C2AFDF-7913-473D-AF60-81E61917FC60.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtZtZ1saDcpwikck8ZEzFCjorlstnrScbZTqYyw8VUoEpe1g5UdZpjTA9p2ujcAA0Nbv8MEEZP6zud7xLjvW0Jgxe8kIytfGrRvBc0OZlWZJ0xZSZ3Pys_YPXKv81I7_Xd4JykpeM-_s/w400-h400/D6C2AFDF-7913-473D-AF60-81E61917FC60.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781616207861" target="_blank">Why We Swim </a></u>by Bonnie Tsui</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As a constantly injured runner, I have been incorporating swimming into my routine more often. Going back to the sport I adored in my youth, now in my old-ish age feels like symmetry Bonnie Tsui would appreciate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This book is filled with fascinating facts about how immersion in water affects the body and seemingly superhuman feats of strength explained by science, if that is your thing. It is also filled with thoughtful insights about meditation and mindfulness, if that is your thing. And it is chock full of lovely lyrical prose, if that is your thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My only critique would be that for type-A folks like myself that crave organization, the structure felt a little haphazard, making it hard for me to remember everything that I read. But, overall, this was a fascinating read that I absolutely recommend to everyone - especially my fellow swimmers. It is also excellent on audio!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525565499" target="_blank">Code Name Helene</a></u> by Ariel Lawhon</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Who am I, reading another World War II novel!? Alas, I’ve heard so many great things about this book, and you know it’s got to be good when the library hold queue still has almost 50 people waiting when the book has been out for over a year. No renewals for me, so it moved to the top of the pile!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the first novel I have read by Ariel Lawhon it was excellent. Code Name Helene is a fictional account of Nancy Wake, a member of Britain’s Special Operations Executive leading resistance fighters in France. It is one of those novels that sends you straight to google every few chapters, which I love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Bringing a plucky heroine to life without seeming trite is a difficult needle to thread, and Lawhon really nails it. Helene is portrayed in absolute technicolor: fallible, relatable, endearing, funny, and I could understand all of her motivations. I loved the way the two very close timelines, of her meeting her husband before the war and of her time with the resistance just a few years later, come together. Little details that seem small become significant, and significant scenes gain clarity with small details. I just love a full circle moment, and Helene is rife with them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The sections of the book detailing Nancy’s time during the war were quite dense in the beginning and I felt like I was being delivered facts and names through a fire hose. For some, that might not be as appealing as the timeline of her romantic drama before the war. But I was riveted by both and look forward to reading more of Lawhon's work!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780063020207" target="_blank">Meet Me in Another Life</a></u> by Catriona Silvey</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy - this was an amazing ride, and so hard to describe without giving away the mind blowing ending. My best attempt is say that it is like the masterpiece Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, but heavier on plot that includes an EXPLANATION of why these two characters can remember past lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The pacing of the story is like a boulder gathering speed as it careens down a hill. At first I was sucked in by each chapter, putting the same people together in different dynamics: coworkers, lovers, student/teacher, parent/child. As they begin to realize the nature of their existence, the tension mounts as they try to find a reason, to find meaning. And when the reason is revealed, it’s like falling off of cliff into an ending that took my breath away a few times over.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I absolutely love this kind of novel that straddles several genres and explores existential themes in an accessible, but not cloying, way. Also, I have an absolute favorite book series to recommend if you read and enjoyed this novel, but only once you’ve finished so as not to spoil the ending! So, so goo<i>d! </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781419739835" target="_blank">Raybearer</a></u> by Jordan Ifueko</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Why does everyone hate change so much?“ I demanded.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Because things could get worse.“</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Maybe. But do you know what I think?” My chest throbbed. “I think deep down, we’re afraid that things could get better. Afraid to find out that all the evil —all the suffering we ignore— could have been prevented. If only we had cared enough to try.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Raybearer was so unique, lush, immersive and just really smart sci-fi/fantasy world building. The mythology and magic Ifueko creates is beyond clever and the characters leap from the page right into your heart. Not since The Hunger Games have I been awed by such a creative plot with a story of found family and a fierce, yet vulnerable, female lead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Halfway through the book I put the sequel on hold at the library, and couldn’t believe there weren’t already hundreds ahead of me in the queue. Get on it, y’all! This feels destined to be a YA fantasy classic.</span></p><p><b><u style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062941084" target="_blank">Parachutes</a></u><span style="font-family: arial;"> by Kelly Yang</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This was a solid YA story on a subject that I knew very little about: parachutes, aka - teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. I was filled with righteous anger reading this book, not only for the micro aggressions suffered by the Asian community, but young girls within the community and writ large. Definitely read if you want to get fired up about smashing the patriarchy. Be forewarned that every character suffers some sort of sexual abuse, and the author's note is a must read. Would be a good accompaniment to reading the current articles about Philip Roth and his biographers...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781616207014" target="_blank">Libertie</a></u> by Kaitlyn Greenidge</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I guess all the books I read in April can’t be five star reads. Libertie is described as a coming of age story, and I suppose the main character comes of age, but the story doesn’t include any hallmarks of a Bildungsroman.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Libertie does not seem to have any grand self realizations, and goes through life vicariously, never finding her own calling. Inexplicably, the pace of the novel was very slow, while her life choices moved at warp speed. Each time another set of characters she encounters was introduced, I thought perhaps this is where things will dig deeper and I’ll get more character development as she finds her people. But, nope, the narrative moved quickly on, and yet another half dozen characters I’ll forget were introduced.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All of these interactions gave an interesting look at life during that time, for sure, but no real depth. I felt like someone watching a roller coaster ride at a theme park, but never able to actually get on board.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-84747815457338418962021-04-06T12:53:00.001-07:002021-04-06T12:53:07.316-07:00March Book Reviews<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcMi3ka0W3S_iVGiRVCrlORU5PZvavH3PB24PGLAG5F6Ye06S9Z92CigqmzS-gSgWQY-ihD1MsCbapFXS8rqrAQNR1FMyOY5Q__0MAGA8x0AH3Xecum_RzTC_ynCdpS_JqtS8xUvBteA/s2048/IMG_1321.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcMi3ka0W3S_iVGiRVCrlORU5PZvavH3PB24PGLAG5F6Ye06S9Z92CigqmzS-gSgWQY-ihD1MsCbapFXS8rqrAQNR1FMyOY5Q__0MAGA8x0AH3Xecum_RzTC_ynCdpS_JqtS8xUvBteA/w400-h400/IMG_1321.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062876003" target="_blank">Good Company</a> by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney</b></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I was thrilled to be invited on this blog tour for Good Company, the new novel by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> out today! This family drama about two struggling couples was engrossing, heartwarming, and thoughtful.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">From the beginning, I loved the ‘inside baseball’ aspect of show business. Lots of frothy, dishy and scathing takes on life in Hollywood and then on Broadway. The unraveling of long buried secrets keeps the narrative propulsive, but I think the character development is where the author really shines. Sweeney perfectly encapsulates, with precise minutiae of everyday life, what it is like to be a young and in love, a young mother and a seasoned one, a best friend, even a teenager on the precipice of flying the nest. (Hey look! I managed to incorporate the title of her previous book, also excellent, The Nest!)</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you enjoy family drama, told from multiple POVs, flawed character study and not necessarily a neat and tidy ending, I HIGHLY recommend this accessible and engaging novel.</span><p><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982107499" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">The Stationery Shop</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: arial;"> Marjan Kamali</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Stationery Shop was a Bookstagram influenced </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">pick and, though I can see it’s broad appeal, I wasn’t wowed by this novel. It’s a quiet and sweet love story of two teenagers torn apart during the 1953 coup in Iran, and how it affects the young girl’s life as she eventually moves to the United States and crosses paths with her lost love decades later.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What I enjoyed: learning details of Iran’s political history, Persian traditions and FOOOOOD.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What didn’t work for me: insta-love, big reveals that were obvious, threads that could have been expounded upon that were not, a whole lot of breadth and not a lot of depth.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you are a fan of a comfortably predictable love stories and being transported to a different part of the world to learn a bit about a culture that might be unfamiliar to you, I’d give this one a shot!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982142490" target="_blank">Milk Fed </a>by Melissa Broder</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I went into Milk Fed without knowing much about the story, just that it might center around the main character’s eating disorder. And, certainly that was prevalent throughout the book: Rachel’s relationship with food, and how it changes based on her surrender to happiness and untethering from her overbearing mother. But the narrative centers mostly around her sexual desires and how one relationship helps her change into her truest self.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I was not bothered by the overtly erotic nature of the text, just a little... WOAH, what? It was honestly much easier to identify with Rachel as someone falling in total LUST as opposed to someone so rigidly controlled by food. Sadly, I feel like one of the few women in society who dodged that bullet and didn’t have a fraught relationship with food for most of my life. Fair warning, it may be VERY triggering for those who have struggled with eating disorders, and um... not your cup of tea if you skip open door sex content in books!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Overall this was a surprisingly sweet and empowering story of self actualization and overcoming one’s demons. And it was a hypnotic listening experience, read by the author on audiobook.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062280596" target="_blank">Made For Love </a>by Alissa Nutting</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Made for Love was my Evergreenreaders </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">book club pick for March and it was all my fault we read this WILD novel (or ‘thanks to me’ depending on one’s point of view). Although, I did give three selections to choose from - yet it seems no one could resist the cover and what indeed sounded like a wild ride. And I’m glad I read it! I think the rest of the club is too, whether we enjoyed the reading experience or not. It is rife with inside jokes for us now and laugh out loud material to dissect, which is one of the reasons I put it on the list!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This story of a woman running away from her psychopath husband who has implanted her brain with a chip to monitor her thoughts, while she hides out with her father and his sex dolls, (also there is a subplot of a man who is turned on by dolphins) is full of dark and satirical comedy. I haven’t guffawed out loud at a book in a long time. (If you have read this book, all of the stuff with Dolphin Savior had me cry laughing.) The plot also had me turning pages wondering what crazy sh*t was going to happen next, and the ending goes full pedal to the metal. But there is also a lot to unpack about how we interact with trauma, groupthink, technology and media.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I know I will think about the themes in this book for a long time and NEVER forget it! In the book the main character recalls a time when she went to an art museum with her mother and says:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“what’s it called when you’re looking at something, I mean staring at something, like how we are doing, but not at something pretty? That’s the whole reason to stare usually, right? Because something is beautiful. What about when something isn’t nice to look at but you’re still looking at it and thinking and stuff?”</i></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The mother goes on to say that is REALITY, and I’d venture to say that also includes art - the provocative variety of which category this novel certainly falls under. It will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting television adaptations in recent memory, out next month on HBO Max. If anyone else has read this book, I would love love love to hear your thoughts on it! And if you plan to watch the show.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982159467" target="_blank">Infinite Country</a> by Patricia Engel</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It is absolutely no surprise that this book has been chosen for so many book clubs and subscriptions, including my first installment of the Third Place Books </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">signed first editions club!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Infinite Country is one of those slim volumes that packs a lot in a little. From the very first sentence “it was her idea to tie up the nun” I was riveted by Talia’s story. After escaping from said nun, it was impossible not to be completely invested in her fate as well as the fate of her family, fractured between Columbia and the United States. Novels with multiple narrators always appeal, and Engel </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">masterfully switches between them - as well as timelines, to build the narrative.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What is so important about reading Own Voices </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">work is that we get a better picture of the realities for the people being represented. This story felt so very real, extraordinary but also ordinary in that it actually represents the lived experience of so many immigrants. It does not need to be flashy or full of action in order to be utterly compelling. A must read and beautiful book about home and family, heartbreak and hope.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780593202227" target="_blank">The Electric Kingdom</a> by David Arnold</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It’s been a loooong time since I read a YA dystopian novel, but the buzz around The Electric Kingdom was irresistible and I feel like I’m in a headspace now where I can handle a post apocalyptic tale.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The beginning chapters are cryptic, purposely so, and once I was introduced to the main characters journey, as they wind their way together in this vivid landscape, I was hooked. I never give a synopsis in my reviews, but even the usual amount of plot I supply would be spoiler-y for this book. It’s best to go in without expectations, even if some of the mystery might be easy to figure, the ‘how and why’ is original and cunning.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As with most dystopian fiction, there is a lot to chew on regarding our shared humanity. Arnold did this in a such a moving and poignant way, not at all saccharine as some YA can tend to be, and not excessively didactic as some dystopian tends to be. If, like me, you enjoyed The Fifth Wave, The Passage or Blake Crouch’s novels - DEFINITELY pick this one up!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780593230251" target="_blank">Caste</a> by Isabel Wilkerson</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Just like every other person who has read this book, I encourage all to read it. What made Caste so impactful for me was Wilkerson’s very organized journalistic structure - it definitely soothed my type A brain.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">She gives a clear definition of Caste, how it undergirds our society, how it affects us all in the most harmful ways, and what the future may hold. All of this is laid out with compelling and clear comparison to caste systems throughout the world/history, easy to grasp metaphor, and her (infuriating) personal stories. Many books I’ve read on racism focus mainly on impactful personal stories, but Wilkerson really lays down the irrefutable case for structural racism in our society. This is one that my kids will be reading, FOR SURE.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Also, the audiobook is excellent and Robin Miles’ voice is soothing and personable at any speed.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250007346" target="_blank">A Trick of the Light </a>by Louise Penny</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Ah, it’s always such a comfort being back in Three Pines and checking in on beloved characters! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A Trick of the Light brought all the usual excellence I expect when reading Louise Penny‘s novels: great atmosphere, character study, humor and wit, as well as intricate and thoughtful themes. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Additionally, this book introduced a lot of drama that will continue throughout the books between the main characters Chief Inspector Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir. I have been consuming Penny’s series at a nice and slow pace, this is book seven and I read Still Life almost four years ago, in order to enjoy them for as long as possible. But now I am kind of anxious to see how some of these underlying plot threads will unravel! I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">f you haven’t delved into these novels yet, I am yet another Penny Pusher encouraging everyone to do so. They are magical.</span></p></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-57532280024501160092021-03-04T14:53:00.000-08:002021-03-04T14:53:15.499-08:00February Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqWJtTIdhFazdXIHYa71TqkVdzUvmqUpQEcyypO15_Dh_kmM6herAcg_9o8Ffcy6L77QBsBaNUVln8m2qUmxPWPr16UwYVv_YMUfxj32ezSwAnGWs2EQ_kAQ_LwAgYdGKPxvIb30K8DA/s2048/IMG_1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqWJtTIdhFazdXIHYa71TqkVdzUvmqUpQEcyypO15_Dh_kmM6herAcg_9o8Ffcy6L77QBsBaNUVln8m2qUmxPWPr16UwYVv_YMUfxj32ezSwAnGWs2EQ_kAQ_LwAgYdGKPxvIb30K8DA/w400-h400/IMG_1251.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982134198" target="_blank">The Paris Library</a></u> by Janet Skeslien Charles</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Books and ideas are like blood; they need to circulate, and they keep us alive.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It is not often that I pick up a World War II historical fiction novel, but the early buzz around this book, and the fact that it’s centered on a library made me pull the trigger on requesting. I’m glad I did, but there were elements I felt lacking and I wanted more from the story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The narrative is set up in a dual timeline, one obviously during the war when the main character Odile is a young librarian at the American library in Paris, and the other in the 1980s when Odile is a widow living in Montana. The author creates that sense of urgency to learn how she ended up so far from home, but I felt as if the journey to that understanding was packed with unnecessary character building and seemed to sag in the middle. Once I learned how fate brought her to the United States, the book is almost over and that’s when I wanted to know MORE. There is a lot to unpack about friendship in both timelines, and was what made the book so compelling. Things JUST GOT INTERESTING with the young Lily in the 80s and potentially her friend Margaret from the war years when the book abruptly comes to an end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I definitely recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction, and it was fascinating to read the prologue about the characters from the book that were actual historical figures. I honestly wouldn’t mind a small sequel perhaps, so that I could find out what became of Lily, Margaret and Odile!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781644450383" target="_blank">In the Dream House</a></u> by Carmen Maria Machado</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“The truth is, there is no better place to live than in the shadow of a beautiful, furious mountain.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Wow wow wow. I listened to In the Dream House on audio, and I felt in a little over my head at first. Machado reads with a singular cadence that took a few passages to get used to, but then her voice became utterly hypnotic. And her cerebral prose is dense at the outset, but settles into the very unsettling and menacing account of the abusive relationship with her ex-girlfriend.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The entire time I listened, I kept thinking about how hard this must have been for her, on so many levels, to examine. Her grief, vulnerability, and trauma is so sharp in this memoir with the visceral writing and (actually successful!) use of the second person.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Lots of TW regarding mental abuse, to be sure, but I highly recommend this indelible book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781501191428" target="_blank">The Lost Queen</a></u> by Signe Pike</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I first put The Lost Queen on my TBR when I saw it blurbed as ‘<u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780345350497" target="_blank">The Mists of Avalon</a></u> for a new generation.’ SOLD! Mists was one of my favorite reads as a young adult, and I was looking for something magical, epic and immersive that wasn’t high fantasy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s absolutely a similarity between the books: both follow the life of a strong female lead, are filled with ancient Celtic magic and the complex politics of tribal kings, religion and power. I have seen Outlander and Game of Thrones mentioned as similar reads, but I think The Lost Queen isn’t as romance focused as the former, and much more character driven than the latter. Pillars of the Earth would be a good comparison with similar themes and story elements.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The plot might have lingered a little too much on the men in the story than I would have liked, as their power struggles dragged for me. I wanted more about Languoreth’s mother, and her mentor Ariane. But on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed this reading experience and look forward to picking up the next in the trilogy soon. I was also in complete awe of the detail and research that Pike put into the novel - absolutely fascinating stuff. As someone of Scots/Irish heritage who dreams of visiting that part of the world one day, this made my wanderlust grow exponentially.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781419742996" target="_blank">The Fixed Stars</a></u> by Molly Wizenberg</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“The constellations we see are temporary creations, our effort to draw order and meaning from a mostly unknowable universe, to tell ourselves stories, to guide our way home across oceans.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I read Molly Wizenberg’s <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781416551065" target="_blank">‘A Homemade Life’</a></u> many years ago, so I only have vague recollections of her love of family, food, and falling in love with her husband. So going into The Fixed Stars, the account of her evolving sexuality and dissolution of her marriage, was disorienting. Then again, I think that was sort of the point - those stars aren’t really fixed and can shift into a different pattern, depending on your perspective.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">While lyrical, especially when espousing on the cosmos metaphor, this read like a friend sitting down over a bottle of wine and telling her equally ordinary and extraordinary tale of marriage woe. I felt so genuinely happy for her in having the courage to make a life of her choosing. I appreciated her honesty about her privilege, and that she doesn’t have all the answers. None of us do in this world and we should accept the story that people tell about themselves, not one we write for them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984806505" target="_blank">Real Men Knit</a></u> by Kwana Jackson</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I read this feel-good comfort read along with my Instagram book club and wasn't really wowed by the story. Things started out promising, as it reminded me a little bit of Insecure, one of my favorite tv shows. Kerry is trying to get her life started and works for a nonprofit serving children in the community - there's even an eye rolling 'woke' white coworker. Alas, there were a LOT of side characters and no one got a real deep dive, even the main romantic interests. It was cute, but a little to cliché for my liking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525511250" target="_blank">In the Quick</a></u> by Kate Hope Day</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I want to preface this review by saying that I found In the Quick to be a unique and absorbing character driven novel. It should get a lot of traction with people looking for something other than what the blurb describes... The way the book is marketed might unfortunately result in some unnecessarily negative reviews.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The description claims a fiery love affair within the first sentence, which I think is terribly misleading. This novel felt like a quiet, introspective story where June’s relationships help showcase her coming of age, but do not take center stage. The romantic relationship, which is a stretch to call it as such, is barely a tenth of the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Readers picking this up thinking they are getting action packed sci-fi, might also cast it in an unfair light. To be sure, there are a number of well-timed scenes throughout that are very tense and rife with action.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But the beauty and the drama in this story is getting inside the mind a brilliant and flawed character. It reminded me of less fleshed out version of <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780393354416" target="_blank">The Unseen World</a></u> by Liz Moore, which I also recommend.</span></p><p><br /></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-35638874902076321452021-02-09T12:52:00.000-08:002021-02-09T12:52:19.970-08:00January Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8lDsEOEPkrizboxTswKkt3kM8tKUpbi83fRCtJDz7s-jCX7tH8_pJtF_wGXyk3OhLH_2tFpg533L213fSJloC5vuZHmwFxHWZZw5nvPqfysBzrPylHNgycFQU5_i_Rw1RBk24YOj0mU/s2048/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8lDsEOEPkrizboxTswKkt3kM8tKUpbi83fRCtJDz7s-jCX7tH8_pJtF_wGXyk3OhLH_2tFpg533L213fSJloC5vuZHmwFxHWZZw5nvPqfysBzrPylHNgycFQU5_i_Rw1RBk24YOj0mU/w400-h400/IMG_1190.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781635575620" target="_blank">A Court of Frost and Starlight</a></u> by Sarah J. Maas</b></p><p>I’m glad it worked out that I read this in the week between Christmas and New Year's, because A Court of Frost and Starlight was basically a ACOWAR holiday book. I definitely ain’t mad about it! It was fun to finally spend some time in Velaris, see the characters take a respite for once, and get even more backstory. Maas clearly had fun setting up the next book/books and has me definitely wanting to continue reading!</p></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062990464" target="_blank">Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian</a></u> by Tim Probert</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This new graphic novel series was such a delight to read. A young girl joins with a rare and heartwarming creature (a Galdurian) to find her missing grandfather, and it echoes some of my favorite children’s stories like <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780375822742" target="_blank">The City of Ember</a></u> and Labyrinth. Probert also addresses anxiety - how it can overwhelm kids at times, and also empower them. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and my daughter is chomping at the bit for the next installment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you have fans of Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi in your household, or fantasy graphic novels, you should definitely pick up this book.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781524761486" target="_blank">Tomorrow Will be Different</a></u> by Sarah McBride</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tomorrow Will be Different is an absolute must read. Her story about coming out as trans, working in politics, meeting and then dealing with the loss of her husband is a roller coaster of emotions. But I felt relentless optimism and faith in humanity undergirding the entire book.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s also so informative, and made me so much more aware of the perspective from a trans person’s point of view - from assumptions made about their sexuality, about the right people seem to have in asking about their bodies, about their given names, or the myriad tasks of daily life that are made difficult as trans in order to avoid confrontation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Most importantly, we should all be loved for who we are, not who we could have been. Trans people are no different.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m excited to see McBride’s inte</span><span style="font-family: arial;">lligence, charm, and optimism carry her far - since the publication of this book, she’s already become the first transgender state senator.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, and some guy named Joe Biden wrote the foreword and it made me like him that much more. </span></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780802148537" target="_blank">Writers and Lovers</a></u> by Lily King</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“I squat there and think about how you get trained early on as a woman to perceive how others are perceiving you, at the great expense of what you yourself are feeling about them. Sometimes you mix the two up and a terrible tangle that’s hard to unravel.”</i></div><div>Gahhhh. I loved this book! I hesitated for so long to read it, thinking it just didn’t sound like something I would enjoy, even though the hardcover of <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780802123701" target="_blank">Euphoria </a></u>sits on my all time favorite books shelf. I started to think perhaps I loved that novel because I seem to gravitate towards crazy books about a stranger in a strange land, like <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780060786502" target="_blank">The Poisonwood Bible</a></u> and <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062049810" target="_blank">State of Wonder</a></u> (also on the revered hardcover shelf). But then I realized I adore Patchett and Kingsolver even when they aren’t taking me to the depths of the jungle, and I HAD to pick up Writers and Lovers by Lily King.</div><div>Like the aforementioned authors, her writing is so lovely and accessible, shocking me at times, and just made me feel some type of way.</div><div>It’s a slice of life and a beautiful coming-of-age story arc, wherein I wanted to hug the protagonist and the whole book when I was done. It can be bleak at times, especially when examining the grief over her mother’s death, yet it’s an immensely satisfying and, dare I say, happy ending? I think we could all use one of those.</div><div><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984822000" target="_blank">Greenwood</a></u> by Michael Christie</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“All the rings of inner heartwood are essentially dead, just lignin-reinforced cellulose built up year after year, stacked layer upon layer, through droughts and storms, disease and stresses, everything that the tree has lived through preserved and recorded within its own body. Every tree is held up by its own history, the very bones of its ancestors.”</i></div><div>Greenwood was such a moving and thoughtful novel (and reminded me of another great book: <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781476749303" target="_blank">This Tender Land</a></u>, set after the great depression, a protagonist jumping the railways). Christie’s story ties to the future in a clever narrative structure, set up like a cross-section of the rings of a tree. It begins in 2038, hops to 2008, 1974, 1934, 1908 and then forward through those same years back to 2038.</div><div>The bulk of the story is told in the year 1934 with a cat and mouse chase between protagonist Everett Greenwood who saves a baby abandoned in the woods, and the wealthy RJ Holt who fathered the baby out of wedlock, sends a lackey to retrieve the baby and keep things under wraps.</div><div>While compelling and suspenseful, with books that span great swaths of time, I tend to get invested in some characters and wish more time was spent with them. At times the cat and mouse chase seemed to drag, but when the plot did come back around to characters from the later years, I was moved to tears. It’s a beautiful and heart wrenching reflection on the environment, what makes a life, and a family. Bonus points for a gorgeously rendered depiction of the PNW.</div><div><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984894151" target="_blank">Seance Tea Party</a></u> by Reimena Lee</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>Another fantastic middle grade graphic novel! Seance Tea Party is a poignant coming of age story about that in between time when kids still just want to be kids and play, while many of their peers are exploring more mature pursuits.</div><div>Lora is such an easy protagonist to empathize with, as I was definitely a kid who was not interested in growing up fast, and my daughter seems similar at almost 11: still running around on playgrounds, still acting silly, still loves animals and fuzzy things. But it is bittersweet, because we know what is inevitable. We both give this one two big thumbs up.</div><div>The book does such a wonderful job illustrating Lora’s very gradual shift in viewpoint on what it means to grow up. Her friend Alexa the ghost is a melancholy, but beautiful message about the privilege of aging. Highly, highly recommend for tween readers and fans ofRaina Telgemeier's books or The Babysitters Club!</div></span></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-26940759828976207862021-01-14T16:12:00.000-08:002021-01-14T16:12:15.752-08:00Favorite Books of 2020<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAH9e-RRl-vvrQn4Ub-HERWNuHuToFZA8-Dmj1Qilw0-peqeMZrDr3XnJ0HgLR8gR6e7oZCqDeQHgM_G3xpt4Bw7a4bG8UdQkGWupR4nuI3GKhdlFpuuSp7BtmyArLzMDO6cos7InLlRs/s2000/fav2020vanishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAH9e-RRl-vvrQn4Ub-HERWNuHuToFZA8-Dmj1Qilw0-peqeMZrDr3XnJ0HgLR8gR6e7oZCqDeQHgM_G3xpt4Bw7a4bG8UdQkGWupR4nuI3GKhdlFpuuSp7BtmyArLzMDO6cos7InLlRs/w400-h400/fav2020vanishing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525540670" target="_blank">Long Bright River</a> by Liz Moore</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was one of the first books I read last year and the utterly suspenseful and human story of two sisters with divergent lives.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/02/january-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062913265" target="_blank">Valentine </a>by Elizabeth Wetmore</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Such an impressive debut from Wetmore, I think Valentine deserves a bit more hype! It's pretty bleak, but perfect if you love a tense and compelling read.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/03/valentine-by-elizabeth-wetmore-arc.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781635575583" target="_blank">A Court of Mist</a> and Fury by Sarah J. Maas</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I escaped into this fantasy series last year, reading all four books, which is something I never do. If I DO read a series, I usually take my time. These books were such fun, and ACOMAF was definitely my favorite of the bunch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/06/may-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780399589065" target="_blank">Good Talk</a> by Mira Jacob</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Over the years I've been discovering how much I love graphic memoirs and Jacob's book was such a unique take on the genre with her collage inspired depictions of her life. The way she uses color and repeating pictures is so clever, and the writing is beautiful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/07/june-books-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250143174" target="_blank">Go With the Flow</a> by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking of graphic novels, this was my favorite kids read this year by a mile. This book takes on all kinds of issues around the stigma of menstruation and was so uplifting and empowering. A must read.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/06/may-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780345804341" target="_blank">The Nickel Boys</a> by Colson Whitehead</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, I am late to this party! I understand now! I love, love, love a book that turns everything on it's head with an amazing ending. It left me breathless, and enraged, but mostly in awe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/10/september-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525620785" target="_blank">Mexican Gothic</a> by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thrillers or horror are not normally my thing, but the buzz around this book had me so curious. I'm SO GLAD I read Mexican Gothic! So atmospheric, creepy, and with a great build up to a completely nutty ending that had my jaw on the floor. Such a fun ride.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/11/october-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780399592683" target="_blank">The Undocumented Americans</a> by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was definitely the best nonfiction book I read this year. Raw and eye-opening. A must read.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/11/october-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780765387561" target="_blank">The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue</a> by V.E. Schwab</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The hype was REAL with this book! I flew through the pages of this lovely story of an immortal woman who will never be remembered.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/11/october-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525536291" target="_blank">The Vanishing Half</a> by Brit Bennett</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last book of the year and one of the best books of the year! I loved <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2016/11/books-i-read-in-october.html" target="_blank">The Mothers</a></u> by Brit Bennett, too, and this one did not disappoint. A great story with thoughtful layers on what it means to be our authentic self.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Original review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2021/01/december-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-31647103976093979532021-01-11T22:36:00.000-08:002021-01-11T22:36:22.774-08:00December Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL0OYVA5NbKpO-3mVYoaxi583f3YWzT66o7EbNS91mT3UmXBfisgrGP6ZgW6be1BsjlyEdH5ONan1U1CmNG9pSvkLFXvYq14wsTsq4lzHzVzkiFDBHaRA0z9e8xz3X-QIaFIYWNgzSmk/s2000/Dec2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL0OYVA5NbKpO-3mVYoaxi583f3YWzT66o7EbNS91mT3UmXBfisgrGP6ZgW6be1BsjlyEdH5ONan1U1CmNG9pSvkLFXvYq14wsTsq4lzHzVzkiFDBHaRA0z9e8xz3X-QIaFIYWNgzSmk/w400-h400/Dec2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525563433" target="_blank">Cantoras</a> by Carolina de Robertis</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">“She’d never lived in such a place before; the freedom dizzied her. It was strange, she thought, how you could live all your life in a home defined by people who loved you and took care of you and shared ancestors with you and yet did not entirely see you, people whom you protected by hiding yourself.”</div><div>This novel about a queer group of women who establish a home together, literally and figuratively, during the dictatorship in 1970s Uruguay was just beautiful and heartbreaking.</div><div>I am really glad that I waited until after our elections here in the US to start reading it, because it is quite terrifying how Uruguay went from a modern democratic society to a fascist rule (and back again). Definitely an eye opening read on that front, but mostly this was an epic character driven story about friendships and how they grow and change. I wanted to reach out and embrace each of these women, they felt so authentic. If a novel that follows beloved characters through decades of heartbreak and triumph appeals, definitely pick up Cantoras.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781982123949" target="_blank">In a Holidaze</a> by Christina Lauren</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>Adding my Holidaze post to the pile that has been all over the ‘gram! If you saw my book stack thoughts last week wherein I was hesitating on this one, I obviously went ahead and let curiosity get the better of me. The reviews seem to be all over the place, and it also seems that people are are all over the place on their CLo favorites! I have only read two of their books, one I loved (Love and Other Words) and one that I felt was meh (Josh and Hazel) if that helps give context for my thoughts on Holidaze.</div><div>I guess I have a soft spot for the childhood friend turned romantic interest, because I actually ended up enjoying this one! A lot of folks had issues with the time loop theme, but I thought it served the story, and the impetus for Maelyn’s decisions, very well. It reminded me of Groundhog Day of course, but also of the very excellent Netflix show Russian Doll, and Before I Fall: a fantastic YA novel by Lauren Oliver. Though, that book is NOT light in tone. Holidaze was a perfectly fun and light holiday romance, and I’m glad I dove in.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062353641" target="_blank">The Viscount Who Loved Me</a> by Julia Quinn</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>The second in the Bridgerton series is just as entertaining as the first. Julia Quinn does a fantastic job with setting a scene, witty and humorous banter, and most importantly, empathetic characters. I really felt for Anthony and Kate, especially as someone who lost a parent at a young age.</div><div>I have a love/hate relationship with great book series. Like Louise Penny, it’s wonderful to have a trove of reliably great books to read. But on the other hand, finding the balance of not binging and fitting in ALL THE BOOKS is painful.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525559474" target="_blank">The Midnight Library</a> by Matt Haig</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>This book seemed to come out of nowhere to win the Goodreads Choice award for fiction, and I’m glad I finally read it! It’s a lovely, albeit melancholy, novel about a character who gets the opportunity to explore the parallel lives she could have lived, while in a sort of purgatory after attempting suicide. So, fair warning on that front.</div><div>I found the idea of fixing past regrets and trying on different lives so compelling, and flew through this relatively short book, curious to see where Nora’s choices would take her. But somewhere along the way, I realized that I wanted more depth than breadth from the story. I mean, the existential themes of the book are DEEP, but my connection to the main character and her relationships were not. Although, one of the things I think Nora has to learn is that she needs to live for herself and not others, so delving into her relationships was not the focus. For me as a reader, a novel focused mostly on plot and messaging makes for a REALLY GOOD read, but not a GREAT one.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781524763169" target="_blank">A Promised Land</a> by Barack Obama</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>The longest it’s taken me to read an audiobook is now six weeks! But this behemoth, with another to come (!), was worth it and did not feel like a slog at all.</div><div>What can I add to the discussion on A Promised Land!? It’s deserving of all the accolades. I found that it bounced nicely between the political and personal, and there’s something for everyone - whether it’s foreign policy, environmental issues, or family life in the White House. Obama moves seamlessly through myriad of subject matter.</div><div>I am always glad to listen to the audiobook when the author narrates, and the emotion comes through in this memoir. I was especially moved when he talks about climate, as well as the anecdote about coaching his daughter’s basketball team.</div><div>I think I enjoyed Becoming a smidge more, probably because I could identify with Michelle more easily. But I miss Mom and Dad equally, and it was a joy to listen to his soothing ‘everything is gonna be okay voice’ for the last months of 2020. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525536291" target="_blank">The Vanishing Half</a> by Brit Bennett</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” she would say. “it’s your life.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">“But it’s not,” Stella would say. “None of it belongs to me.“</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Well, you chose it,” Loretta would tell her. “So that makes it yours.“</div><div>Last book review from 2020! And this is one of the reasons why I do not post my favorites of the year until well into January.</div><div>I was quite confident that I was going to love The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. The Mothers landed on my favorite books of 2016 - I even got to meet the author and get my book signed that year! And, of course, all of the reviews are glowing, rightly so.</div><div>The story of twin light-skinned Black women, one deciding to ‘pass’ as white, and how it reverberates with their daughters was propulsive, gorgeously written, and so thought-provoking. What does it even mean to be white? Aren’t we all playing a part in our daily lives? The way Bennett layers these ideas with each and every character is fantastic. I don’t know how much more praise I can add to the pile other than to absolutely recommend picking it up, and share another favorite quote...</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Her death hit in waves. Not a flood, but water lapping steadily at her ankles. You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.”</div></span></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-66931621719659599402020-12-02T12:41:00.000-08:002020-12-02T12:41:12.083-08:00November Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZ70bh-J5pn3V2Y5LVMH3vkjEC98SrjksgqCr8tuzVQY3CzfAnvR1ROnGj7vNn05fuvjkfyfuXk0Q_Xdd3wv1QgjRF7ORQ9sS5lqKDDa9a6HYs9xtX8A06eXD1mc6OcUQ_d2siXUOPsM/s2000/Blank+2000+x+2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZ70bh-J5pn3V2Y5LVMH3vkjEC98SrjksgqCr8tuzVQY3CzfAnvR1ROnGj7vNn05fuvjkfyfuXk0Q_Xdd3wv1QgjRF7ORQ9sS5lqKDDa9a6HYs9xtX8A06eXD1mc6OcUQ_d2siXUOPsM/w400-h400/Blank+2000+x+2000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062353597" target="_blank">The Duke and I</a></u> by Julia Quinn</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I blew through The Duke and I - it was the PERFECT brain candy distraction to take breaks from the real world. I really enjoyed the witty banter, the plot took some interesting turns before the happy ever after, and I thought it was interesting timing to read a fictional account of someone overcoming a stutter when we just elected Joe Biden. I can’t wait to devour more and watch the adaptation on Netflix!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316428583" target="_blank">Here is the Beehive</a></u> by Sarah Crossan</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to Little Brown for an early complementary copy of Here is the Beehive! I went into this book blind, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it’s written in verse. The writing technique is not something I seek out, but when I do read books structured this way, I inevitably find them so compelling.The pages flew by quickly not only because the words are sparse, but they packed quite a punch. I’m usually averse to books that delve into infidelity, as most seem to romanticize it in some way, rather than frame it as what I consider to be the lazy way out of a relationship, and a lazy way to create drama. This novel contains zero romance, and is actually a fascinating take on what might be inside the head of someone making such self destructive decisions. It is definitely not a cheery holiday read, as it kept getting slightly more awful as things progressed! But there was something so hypnotic and propulsive in the way Crossan structured the book. It felt reminiscent of the first season of Fleabag, in that truths are eventually dropped in your lap like a bomb. I do love a good ‘WHOA!’ in a book, or several, even if it is sorta terrible. I definitely recommend giving it a read if you don’t have a problem with “unlikeable” complex characters, and it can literally be done in a day or two - perfect for hitting those EOY reading goals.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-self-driven-child-the-science-and-sense-of-giving-your-kids-more-control-over-their-lives/9780735222526" target="_blank">The Self Driven Child</a></u> by Stixrud and Johnson</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I put a hold on The Self Driven Child pre-library closure and it came in the other week. I guess I was a glutton for punishment by going ahead and reading it, whilst we are all dealing with unprecedented learning challenges for our kids. Right now it’s pretty hard to be hands-off when grades, assignments, etc. are in our face constantly with systems in place to send updates while remote learning. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nevertheless, even if I read this pre-Covid, I still took the insights from this book with a huge grain of salt. Yes, I don’t interfere with my kids school work, they communicate with their teachers directly, and I let them fail while it is safe for them to do so. But, if they DO fail there are consequences beyond ‘natural consequences’. If my kids are not meeting our expectations on grades, they lose privileges. For the most part, this has motivated them and I don’t have to do it as often anymore. But to get to the point where you let them fail out of school altogether, instead of guiding them through failing grades seems over the top. I definitely agree with the scientific fact that it makes kids feel more self-sufficient when they do things for themselves, but for my family, I feel there is room for guidance.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And as much scientific evidence given about self-sufficiency in this book, there is a glaring lack of the data on children who fail out of high school or college and what that means for their future. Most of the rosy anecdotal stories used as examples, of kids turning things around after major failure, are statistically not the norm.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are certainly great takeaways to be had, and it was a good reminder that grades are not the end all/be all of their future happiness. Also, not every approach fits every child. It’s also worth remembering that we as parents are the expert on our own kids.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316449823" target="_blank">Shit, Actually</a> by Lindy West</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After listening to a spate of audiobooks with heavier subject matter, I was SO PUMPED to finally get the new book by Lindy West from Libro.fm. I think she was also glad to get around to writing some lighter fare after taking on harassment (Shrill) and the patriarchy (The Witches are Coming). To be sure, those books still made me laugh, but with a large amount of righteous anger.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sh*t, Actually is just straight up cackling over her spot on movie critiques. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I love how she can totally rip apart a plot, but still have love for a film. She still finds comfort in Harry Potter audiobooks, but can still laugh about Dumbledore needing a put-outer when there are wands, or that there are ZERO grandparents in the wizarding world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s totally in line with the way my husband and I watch movies, with a lot of fun and skepticism. (We agree heartily on her Twilight hot takes, especially the plot holes specific to the PNW, and yet we rewatch the series every year with glee.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When she details her first time viewing of Terminator 2 without having seen the original, I had to pull my car over because I was cry laughing. Why would we put a limit on how fast a liquid metal man can run???</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">OK, I’ll stop giving away my favorite parts. If you have ever seen a movie in your life, this book is for you! Even if you’ve not seen the films she covers. I have never seen The Santa Clause and that chapter was just as entertaining as the ones about movies I’ve seen and loved, or seen and hated!</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781635575606" target="_blank">A Court of Wings and Ruin</a></u> by Sarah J. Maas</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even though I think ACOWAR could have been half as long, and I got a little lost amongst all of the politics and trying to remember characters from the previous books, this was still a delightfully fast read. Who doesn’t love a good Hero’s Journey tale? Maas writes such vibrant characters and world building. I definitely plan to breeze through A Court of Frost and Starlight this holiday!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-76057091351384778172020-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:002020-11-10T13:26:46.870-08:00October Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAS6WfQGDPQVO2O-fVFbyXqLTwKmviHLqya3KWcZszDe_l7MKEdo_LznKJhc8xbDUi7uRp1FsiaVkouesOEZHZ3pnURs06QJ7shqMvuLrfbSxpGVUYa9mtTG64gkHA8qDZ2mpl5UJd1E/s1080/october2020+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAS6WfQGDPQVO2O-fVFbyXqLTwKmviHLqya3KWcZszDe_l7MKEdo_LznKJhc8xbDUi7uRp1FsiaVkouesOEZHZ3pnURs06QJ7shqMvuLrfbSxpGVUYa9mtTG64gkHA8qDZ2mpl5UJd1E/w400-h400/october2020+collage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780399592683" target="_blank">The Undocumented Americans</a> by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adding my praises to the pile for The Undocumented Americans. This book is an absolute must read. You think you know about the Flint water crisis? You don’t. You think you understand healthcare and immigrants? Nope. You think you know everything about 9/11? You absolutely do not. Well, unless you are an undocumented American, or have already read this book.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Villavicencio shares her personal stories and those of others as they are separated, exploited at every turn, and find defiant joy. The people in this book are absolutely Americans, contributing so much to this country and our daily lives, something that should be understood by all citizens.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780778305095" target="_blank">Saving Ruby King</a> by Catherine Adel West</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“They fear our skin and we fear our power. It’s a perfect storm for destruction. Our destruction.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story of a murder on Chicago’s south side drew me in instantly, especially as a Chicagoan. I appreciated West’s perspective and the plotting was excellent - I was definitely surprised at a few twists and turns.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, I think that was,in part, due to the characters being held at arms length. I never felt invested in the central relationship, Layla and Ruby’s friendship, or any other. Multiple POVs can often shed light on the dynamic between characters, but in this novel, they were all so introspective that it made each person seem like an island unto himself. There’s a lot of exclamation (!) in the actual dialogue and it felt heavy handed and angst-y, rather than nuanced and sorrowful.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think I’d recommend this as a YA novel with it’s emphasis on plot and young people grappling with a legacy they want so desperately to break.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780765387561" target="_blank">The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue</a> by V.E. Schwab</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“It was messy. It was hard. It was wonderful, and strange, and frightening, and fragile - so fragile it hurt - and it was worth every single moment.”</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As with most books I end up adoring, It’s hard to gather my thoughts about why I loved it so much. I just did, and you should read it too!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If I had to elaborate…It reminds me of how I felt when I read Circe (a cursed and timeless woman fiercely moving forward), <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781594485183" target="_blank">My Name is Memory</a> (immortal souls, melancholy, romance), The <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781476764832" target="_blank">Time Traveler’s Wife</a> (unique and magical love story full of longing), or <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780307744432" target="_blank">Erin Morgenstern’s books</a> (richly drawn love letters to art, to books).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This will fit perfectly next to those beloved books on my all time favorites shelf for all the reasons mentioned and more. Addie’s story was an unforgettable one about what matters most, to love and be loved, to be remembered.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316435581" target="_blank">Troubles in Paradise</a> by Elin Hilderbrand</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So thankful that Little Brown sent me a gifted copy! I usually wait until December to read the Hilderbrand winter books, but this year is... different. Not gonna lie, October felt heavy. A trip to St. John was much needed and the novel delivered on all the usual things I come to expect from Hilderbrand: sense of place, dishy drama, lovable (and hate-able) characters, prose about mouthwatering food, and a heartwarming story.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525620785" target="_blank">Mexican Gothic</a> by Silva Moreno-Garcia</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">SO pleasantly surprised by Mexican Gothic! I have seen many mixed reviews, and I have a terrible batting average with gothic novels, especially popular ones like Rebecca, but I do love Jane Eyre. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mexican Gothic was a perfect slow burn, spooky and creepy - but not scary, with such immersive sense of place that kept me turning pages. I loved the main character Noemi and her fierce femininity. (Also, I cannot WAIT for all of the fab ‘50s costume design in the Hulu adaptation!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the novel comes to it’s climactic ending, it’s equally CRAZY and yet not so ridiculous of a denouement as some thrillers I have read in recent years. This book is absolute perfection for a rainy fall read to get lost in, and it actually grabbed my attention away from the news last week!!! So, I highly recommend.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250250469" target="_blank">Cemetery Boys</a> by Aiden Thomas</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was the pick for my local PNW bookstagrammers for October/Latinx heritage month, a sweet YA fantasy novel about a transgender boy navigating the process of becoming a part of the Brujex - people within their culture who can see and help spirits of the dead. I found the Brujo parts of the story to be fascinating, and it lent to the fraught tensions of how gender plays a role within cultural institutions, and how they can remain the same in ways that matter, while also growing with change. Although, the YA prose was pretty heavy and many scenes were drawn out unnecessarily. Several scenes that took me what seemed like ages to read were interludes that lasted mere minutes, and I am not a fan of long winded action scenes that feel like a sports play by play, which is how the book came to it's conclusion. Overall I am glad this book is out in the world though - if you are a YA fantasy fan, I would definitely recommend giving it a go.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-54359388741287729702020-10-06T14:21:00.000-07:002020-10-06T14:21:02.692-07:00September Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDYIMPqD3br-ppyaHCLU63sMkf1F3C8Wa4LL2uoQ2_19cD4jjwwwLCymQgYJ8NEEC7vR2eo-8kjY7ZDk9ITrF6MM9DlXg3MAKjZZ-KLnafE0TE_SHwqzookwP_NChEuy5cZOgUOoQxkg/s2000/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDYIMPqD3br-ppyaHCLU63sMkf1F3C8Wa4LL2uoQ2_19cD4jjwwwLCymQgYJ8NEEC7vR2eo-8kjY7ZDk9ITrF6MM9DlXg3MAKjZZ-KLnafE0TE_SHwqzookwP_NChEuy5cZOgUOoQxkg/w400-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250217288" target="_blank">The House in the Cerulean Sea</a> by TJ Klune</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>Sort of unpopular opinion on this one. Perhaps it was due to my super high expectations going into it - I’ve seen nothing but rave reviews, and decided to buy it for my Independent Bookstore Day purchase.</div><div>Alas... This story of a caseworker evaluating an orphanage of magical children (set in the future? The past? An alternate universe? There’s no clear indication.) was just too saccharine and vapid for my taste. The setup is exactly like X-Men, and I wish it had been similar: messy and imperfect characters instead of precious and unquestioning, real talk instead of platitudes, and real tensions when it comes to prejudice instead of a world where bigotry can be solved with a feel good bromide. IF ONLY.</div><div>For sure it’s a warm and fuzzy read, like cozy slippers and a mug of tea. Which is the PERFECT book for so many right now. So your mileage may vary! For me, it was if somebody spiked my tea with Splenda and hit me over the head with messaging.</div><div>I peeped the negative reviews on Goodreads, and many readers were fans of TJ Klune that felt disappointed with this particular novel. I definitely wouldn’t rule out reading his other books!</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780399563058" target="_blank">The Lager Queen of Minnesota</a> by J. Ryan Stradal</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>I put off reading The Lager Queen of Minnesota for too long! After adoring <u>Kitchens of the Great Midwest</u>, I was worried my expectations were going to be too high. I shouldn’t have worried!</div><div>This story of multiple generations of Midwest women struggling through different challenges, societal and familial, was utterly absorbing. Stradal poignantly conveys the obstacles that women and people in poverty so often encounter in our society. I love how he captures that quiet stoicism, as well as the petty grievances, that seem so prevalent and familiar to the part of the country where I come from. It resulted in laughter and heartache in equal measure while reading.</div><div style="text-align: center;">“...she wouldn’t leave the legacy she desired simply through prideful public displays, like some men did. There were advantages to a low profile. It was like a man to scratch his name on the banister of history, but Helen had come to believe that it was better to be the stairs.”</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780345804341" target="_blank">The Nickel Boys</a> by Colson Whitehead</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>Y’all. I absolutely get it now. This book blew my mind.</div><div>I thought I knew mostly what I was getting into, having some surface level knowledge of the unforgivable travesty of the real life Dozier School. The Nickel Boys is Whitehead’s fictional take on the life of one student and his, all too common, incarceration for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time while Black.</div><div>The story unfolds in the way I thought it would, given history and Jim Crow laws, and I put the book down to take quite a few breaks. But I’d pick it back up quickly, as I was so invested in Elwood and the other students with such vibrant personalities.</div><div>And. The. Ending. Of course I won’t spoil it, but a perfectly executed and emotionally resonant ending MAKES a book for me. Whitehead’s writing knocked my socks off. Perfectly illustrating that you don’t need flowery prose to create something so emotionally resonant. The use of a simple phrase like “this...or that” employed in different contexts throughout the novel echoes with meaning. Just.... All the stars. If you’ve been stalling on this one, hop to it.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525509288" target="_blank">How to be an Antiracist</a> by Ibram X. Kendi</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>I don’t know if there is much more I can add to the conversation about how essential this topic continues to be. I appreciated Kendi’s passion in the narration of the audiobook and all of the salient points made with eye opening, detailed research while relating to his lived experience.</div><div>I will constantly be thinking about this book and the idea of lifting up individuality instead of assimilation into a fixed hierarchy, equalizing instead of ‘civilizing’, and the interconnection of racism and capitalism in our society. Absolutely a must read, but you probably knew that.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250769862" target="_blank">The Switch</a> by Beth O'Leary</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Switch was a perfectly lovely little comfort read! This story of a twenty something city dweller switching lives with her nearly 80 year old grandmother was full of adorable humor and quirky characters. The romantic plots are completely transparent from the first pages, but it’s fun to see how O’Leary gets the story from A to Z. I think I liked <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2019/09/books-i-read-in-august.html" target="_blank">The Flatshare</a></u> a tad more, as it had much more depth than breadth. I got discombobulated a few times with who was who amongst the dozens of characters in The Switch. Still, a fluffy good time. I highly recommend this one for fans of Jenny Colgan’s books!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062662835" target="_blank">With the Fire on High</a> by Elizabeth Acevedo</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was the one of Acevedo's three novels I had not read and it was lovely, as I expected it to be. Depending upon how you feel about YA stories, your mileage may vary. This story of a teen mom felt as if it was leaning very heavily into tropes of the genre. Obviously she's an outsider, parents are out of the picture, she has a spunky sidekick girlfriend, there's a mean girl and a love triangle with the perfect guy. But, I loved the cultural undercurrents and the way Acevedo brought intersectionality issues to light, as well as her characters to life. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p><br /></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-71395109950775981552020-09-09T09:20:00.000-07:002020-09-09T09:20:34.106-07:00August Book Reviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCCktF4lfpcxmJ0XM7utSo2D5YFg9nxE0bgvwFdgJzXGb9uoWBq3NZHFeHL1BTXQoA-13Dij9H8xvRrBlrqOApuffpUFyOxRMEx57vwND7bixkgip0g_fPnjGakai3mwlYBmIMEGP72Y/s2000/august2020+collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCCktF4lfpcxmJ0XM7utSo2D5YFg9nxE0bgvwFdgJzXGb9uoWBq3NZHFeHL1BTXQoA-13Dij9H8xvRrBlrqOApuffpUFyOxRMEx57vwND7bixkgip0g_fPnjGakai3mwlYBmIMEGP72Y/w400-h400/august2020+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780147512970" target="_blank">Lovely War</a> by Julie Berry</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I usually don’t reach for historical fiction centered around a world war, as my reading experience with them tends to feel predictable and uninspired. But the buzz around Lovely War, plus a very original sounding plot device (the story is narrated by Greek gods) got my attention.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What held my attention were the adorable characters, I was really rooting for all of them, and the inclusion of Black narratives from that time period. Berry brings the story of many real historical figures into the novel, and had me googling afterwards - always an indication of a great book.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I will say that, despite the sweet and romantic storylines, it did fall into the category of a little predictable, a little tied up neatly with a bow. But it was a solid WWI historical fiction, and if you are a fan of the genre (which I think SO MANY are) this one is a must read.</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780618871711" target="_blank">Fun Home</a> by Alison Bechdel</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Given my love for graphic memoirs, I felt like I needed to go and make up some back list titles. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (yes, of the excellent ‘Bechdel Test’) seemed like something I should absolutely read.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I knew it was adapted for the stage, and I remember the controversy around it being required summer reading for Duke University and, in my opinion, the baseless claims that it is considered pornography. I could absolutely see why it was assigned reading for new college students, given that a huge focus of Bechdel’s coming of age was at university. And, where the book lost me, it almost seems like a textbook on literature and philosophy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The sections of the book where Alison delves into her family relationships, especially with her mother and her father, absolutely grabbed my attention and I found them heartbreaking and fascinating. But, for long swaths of the book, especially near the end, she becomes tedious drawing so many literary parallels. I really think I’ve had my fill of learning about Proust. Perhaps not for an incoming freshman, though?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I’m glad I read it, and I’m glad for more LGBTQIA+ literature getting attention. Just not my cuppa.</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250177964" target="_blank">Check Please </a>by Ngozi Ukazu</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Caved to a non-memoir graphic novel I’ve been seeing alllllll over bookstagram! Check Please was super cute, fluffy, palate cleansing brain candy. I thought the main character Bitty was adorable and compelling (and he inspired me to finally start baking with our blueberry picking haul) but I really wasn’t wowed by the book overall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I did appreciate the point that cis-gender bro dudes being young, silly and fun can also be smart, empathetic, accepting and kind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I would say that this would definitely be a great pick for the intended YA audiences! </div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525512394" target="_blank">What We Carry</a> by Maya Shanbhag Lang</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One of the things I love about memoirs is how I automatically hone in on how my personal experiences relate to the author. I suppose that’s true of ALL books, but memoirs are special in this way. There was SO MUCH I could relate to in What We Carry - mostly about our relationships with, and expectations, of our mothers and as mothers. What are the stories we tell each other? Tell ourselves?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It was heartbreaking, affirming, and really a book that can be helpful during this sh*tshow of a world we live in - there is much to chew on about how the unexpected or unasked for can make us stronger, more the person we’re meant to be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I could also strongly identify with her fitness routine being that time to connect with herself, time not spent taking care of others. I, too, tend to push myself, and it’s a good reminder that health is more important than fitness and I need to care for my body for the long haul.</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062660350" target="_blank">The Summer Wives</a> by Beatriz Williams</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I REALLY enjoyed this novel! It has perfect summer vibes, vacationing with the wealthy on an exclusive east coast island. And throw in an innocent girl, a big ol’ family estate, and a murder for a Gothic mystery feel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The narrative told in three different timelines (1930, 1951, and 1969) perfectly converged to keep me turning pages until the heart pounding conclusion. Some reveals I saw coming, but there were still perfectly plotted surprises.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If you’re looking for a beach read to squeeze into the last days of summer, this is a PERFECT choice.</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316099943" target="_blank">Summerland </a>by Elin Hilderbrand</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is September, and school has started, but it is still summer and I’m going to keep cramming summer reads until the 21st!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I finished Summerland over the weekend, and oh my heart.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She tackles heavy stuff in all of her books, but this one felt even more so. TW, especially for parents, it is about two families and how they navigate loss of a child - an infant in one family, a teen in another. Understandably, the frothy factor is dialed down compared with her other books. But the characters, in all of their heartbreaking fallibility, are as endearing as always. I flew through this novel, hoping for their happy ever afters and it tied together perfectly.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-89888938321185511382020-08-06T16:28:00.001-07:002020-08-10T15:52:38.242-07:00July Book Reviews<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9uiJXNAzKYvye-ZOTZAPXPX5bIBmg3yYgNQp4B8Fyp0CC5w8PP7eLeRd4LaQxPn0wV5x3F-AG-NEHNK_pWUmzxAFK1UzBAjQisWWaF3u45Rz5mgJlvBSfqdFRiQxBpDkIpnkmDbYCNE/w512-h512/july2020+collage.jpg" width="512" /></div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062349064" target="_blank">The Duchess Deal</a> by Tessa Dare</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div> I was excited to see what all the fuss was about with The Duchess Deal and to read my first regency romance. Maybe my expectations were sky high, but I ended up skimming quite a bit.</div><div>There is definitely comfort in the predictability of reading romance, which must always end happily, but the journey to that end should keep me engaged. I just felt as if I knew how every single moment in this book would play out and got bored real quick. I also think the idea of using Shakespearean insults has been done already, and I certainly give points for humor on that score... to Shakespeare. I do think the main characters banter was fun, and it made me chuckle.</div><div>If anyone has a good regency romance to recommend that might fit a less predictable pattern, please do let me know! I might try reading the Bridgerton books/<a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062911414" target="_blank">The Duke and I</a> before the Netflix show comes out...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250219367" target="_blank">What You Wish For</a> by Katherine Center</div><div><div>Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy! What You Wish For delivers on what I’ve come to expect from Center’s novels: sweet, funny, romantic, lovable and poignant stories of fallible characters figuring out their lives in the face of trauma.</div><div>Last week I posted about a romance novel that felt too predictable to keep me engaged, even though familiar narratives can be comforting. In this novel, and others I’ve read by Center, I generally know where things are going to shake out by the end. But the journey to that comforting ending involved many scenarios I could not have predicted, definitely keeping me on my toes and fully engaged!</div><div>If you are new to this author, I’d say that <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250047311" target="_blank">How to Walk Away</a> is my favorite and a great way to get hooked, and What You Wish For has a timely feel that might be inspiring during these trying times we all find ourselves in...</div><div>”Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow."</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780374312718" target="_blank">All Boys Aren't Blue </a>by George M. Johnson</div><div>Adding my praises to the pile for George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue. I love that this memoir covering gender identity, sexuality, toxic masculinity, structural racism, family bonds and Black joy is geared toward a YA audience. Johnson’s family love shines through on every page, and is one of the most honest and brave memoirs I have read. Definitely recommend the audiobook, too.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781524746025" target="_blank">The Girl With the Louding Voice</a> by Abi Daré</div><div><div>I can see why people are loving The Girl with the Louding Voice.</div><div>The story of Adunni’s coming of age, while surviving all kinds of abuse and oppression, felt familiar and not terribly complex. Though the plot did not grab me, the 14 year old Nigerian village girl who longs for an education absolutely stole my heart. It was eye opening to learn more about Lagos and Nigeria alongside her. I also thought that her non-standard English narration was the most compelling and unique aspect of the novel.</div><div>Overall, I found this to be an impressive debut and look forward to more of Daré’s writing!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250171115" target="_blank">Snapdragon</a> by Kat Leyh</div><div> A wonderful middle grade graphic novel about self discovery, family, friendship, magic and inclusiveness. LGBTQ+ representation is an integral part of the narrative, which is written so seamlessly and lovingly - it just all around warmed my heart. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250259042" target="_blank">Crossings </a>by Alex Landragin</div><div><div>Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the gifted ARC of Crossings by Alex Landrigan! I haven’t seen this one on the early reader bookstagram radar, and I’m surprised because it’s a wildly fun premise...</div><div>A little bit fantasy, a little bit historical fiction, and a little bit mystery that can be read in two different ways. If you read it cover to cover, it is like reading the story from three separate, subsequent perspectives. If you decide to read in the “Baroness“ sequence, directions are given at the end of every section where to turn next, giving it an alternating perspective of telling of the story (and the nostalgia of Choose Your Own Adventure books). Naturally, I chose this method and thoroughly enjoyed watching the pieces of the puzzle come together. I also thought it would be easier to skim the opposite method of reading once I was done!</div><div>I won’t say too much about the contents of the book to avoid spoilers. But it felt reminiscent of Anne Brashares novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781594485183" target="_blank">My Name is Memory</a>, and the more recent <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316421973" target="_blank">Ten Thousand Doors of January</a> by Alix Harrow. I love the idea of souls destined to be together across time and space.</div><div>If that, along with Paris after the turn of the century, sounds like your cup of tea, definitely check out this book!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250211491" target="_blank">Go to Sleep, I Miss You</a> by Lucy Knisley</div><div>Ah, Lucy Knisley just perfectly illustrates real life with her drawing and wit in every book she writes. I feel pretty far removed from the crazy baby days with a 10 and 13 year old, but ‘Go to Sleep, I Miss You’ made all those hazy memories rise to the surface. I even got out the baby books to peruse. Short and sweet, it’s a hilariously fun read for parents of any age!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062882769" target="_blank">Clap When You Land</a> by Elizabeth Acevedo</div><div><div>This was as gorgeous, haunting, and of course, lyrical as I expected it to be. Usually I share a favorite quote from a book, but with it is IMPOSSIBLE to choose. Her novels, written in verse, carry such emotional heft and absolutely captivate with her beautiful words.</div><div>It’s good going into this story about two girls who’s lives are mirror images, and yet worlds apart, without knowing too much. The way Acevedo masterfully lays out the plot and builds incredible tension, while also clearly illustrating the effects of race, class, misogyny and the power of women despite the patriarchy, is perfection.</div><div>Run, don’t walk to pick up this book. I’d also recommend <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062662811" target="_blank">The Poet X</a>, and I’m so glad I already have <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062662835" target="_blank">With the Fire on High</a> in my stacks at home!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-7632284737925519262020-07-02T14:10:00.002-07:002020-07-06T18:52:28.785-07:00June Books Reviews<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe3Wibe-vzTs6P6DCI8oYUtAd3ewlNJluHW6m4bYHpHg0hdtCjhEAjxJTTOxGDpB3Cu5TodGNa-OFvsnqeb7iDnIonpCYiFrVVRGcDR4g1Oh1_9jEb7YOJhG0bESZNgppoVd7m-0qCyA/s2000/june2020+collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe3Wibe-vzTs6P6DCI8oYUtAd3ewlNJluHW6m4bYHpHg0hdtCjhEAjxJTTOxGDpB3Cu5TodGNa-OFvsnqeb7iDnIonpCYiFrVVRGcDR4g1Oh1_9jEb7YOJhG0bESZNgppoVd7m-0qCyA/w400-h400/june2020+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781580058827" target="_blank">So You Want to Talk About Race</a> by Ijeoma Oluo</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial">There's not much I can add to the conversation about this book, other than to say that it does feel like an actual conversation with a friend (I especially enjoyed the audiobook). Oluo clearly lays out the structural racism and bias we all live with, and it was even more impactful as a fellow Seattle dweller. I could vividly picture the story she told of staying with her mother's friend in the small mountain town we have driven through countless times, and I knew exactly where she was going when talking about cultural appropriation when traveling at our local airport. Ooof, the Africa Lounge really ought to go...</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984822185" target="_blank">Normal People</a> by Sally Rooney</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Okay, I GET IT. I like to know what’s up with polarizing books, and I wouldn’t say that I came down on either extreme of ‘all time fave’ or ‘worst book ever’ for Normal People. But I REALLY liked it - 4 stars. And I confess that I LOVED the BBC series - 5 big stars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As for the book, I was enthralled by Connell and Marianne’s back-and-forth through their coming of age, the very real feeling breakups and makeups. Sure, they were insufferable in their constant miscommunication. But they’re teens/young adults figuring sh*t out. And they DO FIGURE IT OUT, which is wonderful and heartbreaking by the end. I also appreciated that they never cheated on each other and acted deferential towards one another.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In my reading experience, I felt very empathetic towards Marianne. Who doesn’t love a story of the bookish nerd girl glowing up and getting the guy? My heart ached for her as she dealt with Connell’s immaturity and her family trauma. It was harder for me to get my arms around Connell and his struggles with anxiety. He didn’t leap off the page for me. But after watching Paul Mescal’s performance on screen, I saw scenes from the book differently. Looking back on what I highlighted, I don’t know how I missed such a beautiful character study the first time around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>“He finds himself rushing to the end of the conversation so they can hang up, and then he can retrospectively savor how much he likes seeing her, without the moment-to-moment pressure of having to produce the right expressions and say the right things.”</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rooney’s writing was hypnotic, nostalgic and so thoughtful about socioeconomic status, family, mental health, trauma, and learning self-worth through it all. And I actually liked how it flowed without quotation marks! I think it lent itself well to such an interior focused narrative.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781640092587" target="_blank">The Revisioners</a> by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial">I finished the Revisioners on a typical June gloom day here in the PNW and it felt like the perfect fit for this amorphous and mystical novel. I am a sucker for a dual timeline narrative, and the common threads that Sexton weaves between present day Ava, and her mother’s great grandmother Josephine, a formerly enslaved woman who becomes a sharecropper, was beautifully nuanced and thoughtful. For only 288 pages, it’s quite an epic family story about the power of mothers and Black women. I do wish it was a tad longer, as I felt that it ended too abruptly and I was just beginning to learn about the Revisioners magic.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780399589065" target="_blank">Good Talk</a> by Mira Jacob</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am realizing that one of my favorite genres is the graphic memoir. Good Talk is as FANTASTIC as every person I know that’s read it says it is. It is ‘timely’ for sure, about a dark skinned south Asian woman raising a mixed race child with her Jewish husband. But, in any time, the whip smart art paired with heartfelt prose is utterly compelling and completely gutted me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>“We think our hearts break only from endings - the love gone, the rooms empty, the future unhappening as we stand ready to step into it – but what about how they can shatter in the face of what is possible?”</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As with all graphic memoirs, even if you don’t think they’d be for you, I strongly urge giving them a try. Similar to memoirs on audiobook, there is something about the visual arts paired with the prose that gives the reader so much more. In addition to Good Talk, I’d recommend anything by <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781626728080" target="_blank">Lucy Knisley</a>, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781419718786" target="_blank">The Best We Could Do</a> by Thi Bui. </div></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780553213171" target="_blank">Anne of the Island</a> by LM Montgomery</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial">It’s been over two years since I picked up where I left off in reading my beautiful Tundra Books Anne of Green Gables box set. Spending time with Anne is always a perfect respite, and I need to remind myself of this more often! In book three, Anne of the Island, we’re treated to the halcyon days of her college life. It’s filled with all of the drama of young adulthood, immersive scenery, and the mirthful humor of all L.M. Montgomery books.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780316420044" target="_blank">28 Summers</a> by Elin Hilderbrand</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="arial">Another summer, another Hilderbrand novel! I can now see why people are raving about her latest, it is indeed fantastic. It’s a testament to how much I love her storytelling, despite utilizing one of my least favorite conflict tools in storytelling: people just not being truthful and saying how they feel. Ugh. As a riff on Same Time Next Year, it’s built on two people in love who only meet once a year and go back to their separate lives. Normally I get frustrated with the characters obtuseness in these situations and just tap out. For the first part of 28 Summers I was wary of how I would feel by the end. But, Hilderbrand knocks it out of the park with this cast of characters, intricate plot and the realness she brings to each fraught relationship: spouses of course, but also mothers and sons, best girlfriends and, what stood out to me most, the relationship between siblings.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="arial">She is one of the few authors I can immerse myself in for hours and wonder where the time went (4 hours of reading until 2 a.m. to read the entire second half of the book). It’s like listening to a friend relay an unbelievable story, filled with sumptuous atmosphere (oh, Nantucket), humor (“Mallory’s breathing is so shallow, she feels like she’s playing a dead person on television.” ha!), nostalgia (especially for us Gen X’ers - I mean, how many people get the Yaz or Michael Hutchence references??), and so much heart.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="arial">If you love Hilderbrand’s work, this is a no-brainer. And if you’re new to her novels, this is an excellent place to start.</font></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-27262789840299938872020-06-09T12:25:00.001-07:002020-06-09T12:56:58.690-07:00May Book Reviews<br />
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A housekeeping note, I’ve begun using Bookshop affiliate links to support independent bookstores instead of the big A, which gets me a small percentage of sales if ya purchase books through my link. I’m working on setting up a storefront soon!</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="arial" size="2"><br /></font></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780062367686" target="_blank">A Good Marriage</a></u> by Kimberly McCreight</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">This book lives up to the hype, and is definitely my kind of thriller: thought provoking social commentary, nuanced characters, and absolutely believable twists and turns.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">McCreight creates a rather large cast of characters, but I could completely understand each and every one’s motivations, which I find lacking in a lot of thrillers. And she thoughtfully ties in the theme of ‘a good marriage’ leaving no couple behind. Even those on the fringes are analyzed, from divorced or seemingly perfect, to those with an open marriage. Nothing is what it seems and I absolutely was guessing until the last. Not since I read <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780374156022" target="_blank">Miracle Creek</a></u> last year did I enjoy this kind of provocative legal thriller (with Angie Kim’s excellent social commentary on parenthood). Methinks I need to seek out more thrillers written by women with law degrees...</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">Thank you to Harper Books for the complimentary advance copy!</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780385543767" target="_blank">Hidden Valley Road</a></u> by Robert Kolker</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">The story of the Galvin family, with six out of twelve children diagnosed with schizophrenia, is as fascinating and compelling as it sounds. I can see why Oprah chose it for her book club! If there is any criticism I’ve seen, is that more readers are drawn in by the family narrative, and less so by the scientific and bureaucratic interludes about schizophrenia research. But, those are the parts that I am finding truly remarkable! Science, y’all.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781619635197" target="_blank">A Court of Mist and Fury</a> by Sarah J. Maas</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">I stayed up way past my bedtime finishing A Court of Mist and Fury (book two in this series), and I’m so glad I did.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">The world building of the Night Court is spectacular, the character development of the heroine Fayre is much more empathetic (as is Rhys, obviously), I was on the edge of my seat for much of the book. And llast, but not least, the swoon factor is OFF THE CHARTS. I also appreciated the very strong theme of valuing consent and being autonomous, equal partners in a relationship.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">I’m so glad that I started these after all the books were published, as I just popped the third book into my recent Target order.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781984896841" target="_blank">Stepping Stones</a></u> by Lucy Knisley</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">Oh, I am SO HAPPY that Lucy Knisley is doing middle grade fiction with her amazing drawing and storytelling.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">In Stepping Stones, Jen’s coming of age story is told in the aftermath of her parents divorce, moving to the country from the big city, and gaining new family members she certainly did not ask for. It is heavily based on the author’s own experiences, and the emotions of Jen’s highs and lows are certainly on-point and easily identifiable. I couldn’t help but root for her, and her new family by the end.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">My daughter and I gobbled up our (signed!!) copy, and we are eagerly awaiting the next installment in this TRILOGY. My love for this author knows no bounds, and I highly recommend all of her books, reviews can be found in the tab above 'by author' and my favorites are definitely <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781626728080" target="_blank">Kid Gloves</a></u> and <u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781626722491" target="_blank">Something New</a></u>.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250143174" target="_blank">Go with the Flow</a></u> by by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">This boooook!! I would love to put this graphic novel into the hands of every school principal and every girl in the world, as a start.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">I’ve been breaking into some of my daughter’s library stash, and Go With the Flow was an absolute delight while confronting the insufferable stigma around menstruation, and exposing period poverty. I was also so impressed with the diversity of the book - not just with race, but body types, sexuality, family structures and even our cycles, and how they can be vastly different. It’s full of heart and a call to action. Highly recommend!!!</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2"><u><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781338635171" target="_blank">The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</a></u> by Suzanne Collins</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">Welp. I am in agreement with most of the reviews that I have seen for A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The consensus is that the first two parts of the book are engaging, and then the third falls flat. I would argue that it ALL felt dull.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">At first I was sucked back into the world of Panem, and the idea of seeing the origins of the hunger games. I just wish Collins would have gone in a less predictable direction with Snow’s character. He was just wooden, predictable, and uninspiring - as a villain or a hero.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><font size="2">On the bright side, I do love how it matches and rounds out my beloved trilogy</font></span></div>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-51456570100653811172020-05-06T13:55:00.004-07:002020-06-08T20:59:50.184-07:00April Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHWWyjwXUE8UpSEd_EB_1GIoVtelsXFYtkNFmDvGEFRzebjLQKN5Hk24_3rBh3mdxsVeVzk93mhS8I3h72bEFVizM43JfwYW7XN69Tivof5gGeWS7InIvhMXjazNc8o0vBgHZwWMpbmA/s1600/April+2020+collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHWWyjwXUE8UpSEd_EB_1GIoVtelsXFYtkNFmDvGEFRzebjLQKN5Hk24_3rBh3mdxsVeVzk93mhS8I3h72bEFVizM43JfwYW7XN69Tivof5gGeWS7InIvhMXjazNc8o0vBgHZwWMpbmA/s400/April+2020+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781948226486" target="_blank">Godshot</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1948226480" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Chelsea Bieker</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to the folks at Catapult, I was able to get a complimentary early digital copy of Godshot. This story of a girl coming of age, while stuck in a dead-end town and being brainwashed by a cult was a WILD ride. Lacey May is an utterly authentic and compelling character, whom I wanted to hug and smack upside the head in equal measure. The same goes for her mother, the town beauty who is the focus of the evil pastor’s designs. Godshot offered up a lot to think about when it comes to the relationship between mothers and daughters, what makes a family, and what it means to forgive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I flew through this book wanting to know how things would end up for Lacey May. I find books about cults rather fascinating, even though this was fictitious. One might wonder where the author drew her inspiration, as some of the details were pretty horrific (Lots of trigger warnings - definitely research before reading, or shoot me a DM.) but she grabbed my attention in a visceral way. Bieker certainly nails the inherent misogyny of cults.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“But my body did exist and was only growing bigger. I would only keep existing more and more, and then when the baby came she too would exist, angering men and boys all on her own. When did this end? I wondered.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">If you think a sinister, and also weirdly charming story about a young girl in throes of a cult sounds fascinating, for sure grab this singular debut!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780312628260" target="_blank">The Blue Bistro</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0312628269" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Elin Hilderbrand</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I normally save Elin Hilderbrand books for the summer. However, with my waning attention span and anxiety these days, I decided that getting to some unread backlist might be a good idea! The Blue Bistro wasn’t my favorite narrative of her novels, but the food writing sure was! If you know Hilderbrand’s work, you know that the love she puts into talking about food is such a huge part of her appeal. That, and being so vividly transported to beautiful Nantucket, which was SO NICE RIGHT NOW.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven’t read any of her novels, hit me up and I can try to recommend one that might be perfect for you! I especially like to recommend her to fans of Louise Penny, because they have many of the same enchanting elements.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780525621034" target="_blank">Here for It</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0525621032" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by R. Eric Thomas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> I’m really glad that I had R. Eric Thomas to keep me company in the last few weeks at home doing the thousands of dishes and loads of laundry that come with going absolutely nowhere. Anyway! Anyone that can tie in my favorite childhood read aloud (The Monster at the End of This Book) from the beginning of their memoir, to the heartwarming ending is TOPS in my book! This was an astute, eye opening, and obviously good humored collection of essays on his coming of age and confronting issues of race, class, LGBTQ, and religion. Highly, highly recommend!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9780312626907" target="_blank">Bury Your Dead</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0312626908" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Louise Penny</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I hadn’t planned on reading the next winter-y installment of Inspector Gamache in April, but here I am craving those comfort reads. Bury Your Dead was excellent, of course, and each book just compounds upon the last. I rather enjoyed</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> the tied up loose ends from the previous novel, while also </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">taking in Québéc through Penny’s eyes in this volume. It’s like being given the gift of travel right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781619635180" target="_blank">A Court of Thorns and Roses</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1619635186" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Sarah J. Maas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I finally CAVED to this series that is all over Bookstagram. I dabble in fantasy books a few times a year, but many of the hyped series didn’t suck me in past the first book - Six of Crows, Caraval, A Darker Shade of Magic... All great, just didn’t have that something that made me want to devour them. (Sorry! I know how beloved those titles are!) ACOTAR is reminding me of my reading experience with The Selection or Twilight series: kind of ridiculous, but so ADDICTIVE. It’s like Katniss mashed up with Cinderella whilst being rather sexy (PSA: not all fantasy written by women is YA). I have already ordered the next book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/8882/9781250317995" target="_blank">The Whisper Man</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250317991" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Alex North</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the first fiction novel I have ever listened to on audiobook! I tried to when I first started listening to audiobooks, but learned quickly that nonfiction holds my attention best, preferably memoir. But I had a complimentary advance copy sitting in my Libro.fm account and thought that I'd give this thriller a go. I listen to books at normal speed (or sometimes 1.1 speed, which is so awesome this is available on Libro.fm), but I pushed this one up to 1.25 in the final chapters, absolutely riveted. The ending was downright unsettling. If you are into creepy thrillers, I would definitely recommend this story about a child killer who whispers in victim's bedroom windows, complete with a scary rhyme about 'The Whisper Man.' *shudder*</span></div>
<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-47330532646558275202020-04-09T13:15:00.001-07:002020-04-09T13:15:12.963-07:00March Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsg7_Ig1bqZEXcjMBSGEfGXV35elEqwOzKntOst-uXBDaIZsMLTQe5m40F1UmR5GT5630U_2FUFg0_YWQM8HSY9BHJ3pthNvuVBWbcT1z-2TWVzCs2WbNC0as0RnG7FeCwCxf1e3fVRyo/s1600/march+2020+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsg7_Ig1bqZEXcjMBSGEfGXV35elEqwOzKntOst-uXBDaIZsMLTQe5m40F1UmR5GT5630U_2FUFg0_YWQM8HSY9BHJ3pthNvuVBWbcT1z-2TWVzCs2WbNC0as0RnG7FeCwCxf1e3fVRyo/s400/march+2020+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062913263/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062913263&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=e4d8db7d4f2375511706cdd65a9c682d" target="_blank">Valentine</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062913263" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Elizabeth Wetmore</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This novel, reminiscent of Kingsolver, will definitely go down as one of my favorite books this year! Full review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/03/valentine-by-elizabeth-wetmore-arc.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738235083/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0738235083&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=ead9645cd100d04c419b9b09f42d96e2" target="_blank">Middle School Matters</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0738235083" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Phyllis L. Fagell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, I guess I don't need to worry so much about school dynamics for awhile now... ANYWAY. This book was pretty dry, and there was a lot of information within that I have taken in from various articles and books. But, it does contain a lot of good information. Funny enough, there were many gems that I had already gleaned YEARS ago from <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2013/09/books-i-read-in-august-2013.html" target="_blank">Connecting Boys with Books</a></u>, which is a great read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/144247243X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=144247243X&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=12806916a770c2c47c17ed2a95384f88" target="_blank">Scythe</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=144247243X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Neal Shusterman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s been a RULL LONG time since I dipped my toes into YA dystopian fiction. But, my 7th grader chose is for his book club in English class, so I figured it was time to pick it up - especially after hearing so many of y’all singing it’s praises. I must say that I found it very entertaining, and cinematic in tone. Is there a screen version in the works? I can’t imagine there not being one. It definitely evokes excellent philosophical discussions about life, death (obviously), and purpose. Though I felt the pace sag in the middle, it comes to a heart pounding end that is equally satisfying and tantalizing. I for sure plan to finish the series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593128982/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0593128982&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=1bfe69034f12ac60e6482b9a931fa074" target="_blank">The Vanished Birds</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0593128982" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Simon Jimenez</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t burn through it very quickly, and I thought it sagged in the middle. But would I have felt that way when reading it a month ago, pre-covid 19?? Overall, I’d say Jimenez drew me in immediately with his eerie, somber and vivid world building. I was reminded a bit of <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/02/january-book-reviews.html" target="_blank">A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet</a></u>. Though the tone of Vanished Birds is much more introspective and dark, I’d definitely recommend it as another example of thought provoking literary sci-fi.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062913468/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062913468&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=a78c728b3bca27e0bec40b20be5795c7" target="_blank">Nothing to See Here</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062913468" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Kevin Wilson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I felt ambivalent about Perfect Little World, but Catherine at <u><a href="https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/" target="_blank">Gilmore Guide to Books </a></u>convinced me to give this a try. I appreciated Wilson’s fantastical story, his take on class and power, and completely unique and convincing characters. How an author can make spontaneously combustible children seem like a plausible storyline, while balancing a sweet as well as sinister tone, I can't quite articulate. It has to be read to be believed, which I'd certainly recommend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1328662055/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1328662055&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=40c903bfc6a03458e71e2440c281ccdc" target="_blank">Maybe You Should Talk to Someone</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1328662055" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Lori Gottlieb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This one definitely lived up to all of the hype! Gottlieb gives a fascinating glimpse into the work of a therapist, some excellent nuggets of wisdom through which we can look at our struggles in a more constructive manner, and a string of excellent narratives that propel the book forward. I was so invested, not only in her life story, but those of her patients Rita, Julie and of course JOHN. The raw humanity she shares in herself and others instills such empathy - just a lovely book.</span><br />
<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-21333368514942416922020-03-30T21:11:00.003-07:002020-03-30T21:11:48.775-07:00Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore (ARC Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJT5UC4cdu2e7x62We63feWI_MyjGgq7uYnKM3Kf6j16h_Ytz5MdvobbXfuaU9BSIzZw7R-LCmXEMKrTqWr3z8CwEWePajIJKhCsz4dMjirX2a8NnTgZIwcB3x7rzL3uZZiE2ys9UYoQ/s1600/38E51CA6-DE76-4604-9618-E52DAB4872D9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJT5UC4cdu2e7x62We63feWI_MyjGgq7uYnKM3Kf6j16h_Ytz5MdvobbXfuaU9BSIzZw7R-LCmXEMKrTqWr3z8CwEWePajIJKhCsz4dMjirX2a8NnTgZIwcB3x7rzL3uZZiE2ys9UYoQ/s400/38E51CA6-DE76-4604-9618-E52DAB4872D9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062913263/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062913263&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=759859d6d824087c4f95232837dc5ea8" target="_blank">Valentine</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062913263" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Elizabeth Wetmore</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> Harper Books (March 31, 2020)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Description from the publisher:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Mercy is hard in a place like this . . .</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It’s February 1976, and Odessa, Texas, stands on the cusp of the next great oil boom. While the town’s men embrace the coming prosperity, its women intimately know and fear the violence that always seems to follow.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In the early hours of the morning after Valentine’s Day, fourteen-year-old Gloria Ramírez appears on the front porch of Mary Rose Whitehead’s ranch house, broken and barely alive. The teenager had been viciously attacked in a nearby oil field—an act of brutality that is tried in the churches and barrooms of Odessa before it can reach a court of law. When justice is evasive, the stage is set for a showdown with potentially devastating consequences.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">So many feminist books of late center on the harrowing 'what-if' of a potential dystopian future. Yet this story of amazing and powerful women needs only to look into our very recent history: west Texas in 1976... What a phenomenal debut by Elizabeth Wetmore - I went into this novel blind, and was completely blown away: the lush prose, vivid sense of place, powerful storytelling, and authentic characters all culminated in such an emotionally moving way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The plot begins with heart pounding scenes from Gloria's perspective as she escapes from attack, then bounces to Mary Rose as she answers the door, and eventually to a kaleidoscope of different women who each have a compelling narrative in their own right. The brutal crime and the way it's repercussions unfold certainly propels the story forward, but it almost feels secondary after getting caught up in these fantastic characters’ lives. I felt so much sadness, rage (oh the RAGE), and ultimately hope on their behalf.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The comparisons to Kingsolver are completely legit, and I felt echoes of The Poisonwood Bible while reading Valentine. I'd say her writing is also comparable to Ann Patchett, with such perfect unique and compelling character studies that punch you in the gut - but in the best way!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to Harper Books for gifting me a review copy! This indelible novel is definitely going on my yearly favorites list. It comes out tomorrow - March 31st, and I would recommend preordering and getting those library holds in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195045023043575332.post-50846075958447268522020-03-05T14:01:00.001-08:002020-03-05T14:01:05.486-08:00February Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAVj8u5Y464Gsh1ul5u2P_UmZcv15bKT5Qd4rwuiwhvbf_4Yu__pzhCUdKW7aYfnk_xctiY8X843W2B-pIYF6sgBciHRU1B6oB7wl8SeVpn0ecPy_fpPFS7sxCAdkVo4F4zkI1yvxkXY/s1600/February20+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAVj8u5Y464Gsh1ul5u2P_UmZcv15bKT5Qd4rwuiwhvbf_4Yu__pzhCUdKW7aYfnk_xctiY8X843W2B-pIYF6sgBciHRU1B6oB7wl8SeVpn0ecPy_fpPFS7sxCAdkVo4F4zkI1yvxkXY/s400/February20+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250236606/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250236606&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=8f16ee796d33681a21079facb7f317d0" target="_blank">Oona Out of Order</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250236606" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Margarita Montimore</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oona is definitely making the rounds on social media right now, and I was lucky to be one of the folks to receive an advance copy in a promotion from Flatiron Books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was a fun and fluffy take on the idea of time travel/alternative realities, wherein the main character switches into a different year of her life at the stroke of midnight every January 1st. I think we can all agree is no longer a unique concept in fiction nowadays, and it needs to be done exceptionally well to stand out. I think this one will stand out because it is the first I’ve noticed that has popped up in the women’s fiction/contemporary fiction genre in a long time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The plot kept my attention, wanting to know what lay ahead for Oona and how she would handle the year she was given. There’s also an emotionally manipulative plot twist later in the book that gave it some heft, but I was left wanting more. It is nowhere near the epic level of literature it is being compared to, like Life After Life or The Time Travelers Wife, which are two of my all time favorite books. If you are intrigued by the premise and are looking for something quick and light, definitely give this a read. If you are looking for epic and indelible, read the latter two - you won’t be disappointed!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626722498/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626722498&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=a1da6c971c8d551d6081621bcaa26248" target="_blank">Something New</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1626722498" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Lucy Knisley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m officially out of new Lucy Knisley content and I’m so sad! Luckily, she has TWO new books out this year. I adored Something New. It had personal, heartfelt vulnerability paired with insightful anthropology that all of Knisley’s books share. I loved the fascinating cultural tidbits (and hot takes) on matrimony, as well as the nitty gritty details of her wedding planning. It, obviously, made me nostalgic for our wedding almost 18 years ago... I’m also a sucker for Chicago nostalgia, and felt as if I took a rocket ship back in time at the mention of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind!! Any of my fellow Chi-town peeps remember that show?? Anyhoo! Pick up Knisley’s books - they’re fantastic</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501178830/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501178830&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=8861a79a55713810e1638ffb8a3cc254" target="_blank">How to Be Alone</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501178830" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Lane More</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This memoir was an overwhelmingly sad listening experience. I was certainly moved by Moore's account of how her broken family and upbringing shaped her life. And it helps to explain where so many people are coming from who have difficulty with relationships. Given her humor writing background, I was just hoping for a bit more levity than this book offered. However, if you are someone who's had a freakout over whom to put as an emergency contact on forms (which is highly relatable) and find holidays difficult, this will definitely make you feel less alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142426423/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0142426423&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=7e447c5a163ff29a0fd339fa080b916a" target="_blank">Fish in a Tree</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0142426423" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Lynda Mullaly Hunt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Being a fourth grader, my younger kiddo was so excited to finally be able to participate in King County Library Global Reading Challenge! Her team didn’t win her school competition, but they came in third place despite being down two teammates. She had so much fun and can’t wait to do it again next year. Of the books in the challenge I decided to read Fish in a Tree and thought it was a perfect middle grade book about all the things kids grapple with: learning differences, new teachers, feeling alone, bullying, and making new friends. I loved the endearing characters in this book, especially the way Ally sees the world, and would definitely recommend for elementary/middle schoolers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052554190X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=052554190X&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=abc26e018633674b5c6dfe1d609403b5" target="_blank">Such a Fun Age</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=052554190X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Kiley Reid</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t know how much more I can add to the conversation about Such a Fun Age, since it is everywhere (most notably, Reese Witherspoon's book club pick). But, I think it’s for good reason. As many have noted, it takes on difficult topics like race, class, and feminism. Yet it doesn’t feel heavy or didactic. It’s fast paced, topical, and the characters are expertly nuanced - they each have CRINGE WORTHY moments (some more than others..) and empathetic ones. I was really impressed by this debut and highly recommend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062899961/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062899961&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=842feb38fe421fa97df708e60b712ac8" target="_blank">Open Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062899961" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Jessica Simpson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems as if Open Book is THE audiobook that everyone I know is listening to, and I’m just going to add my praise to the pile! I was a little too old to be caught up in her music and the boy band craze. But, my husband and I totally watched Newlyweds! I love that she has taken control of, and rewritten, her narrative. This was definitely emotional, juicy and entertaining, as a good celebrity memoir should be - it was also very well written, and I love that she gives credit to her ghostwriter Kevin Carr O'Leary, which is NOT usual for a celebrity memoir. Kudos to her all around, this was fantastic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1982137444/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1982137444&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=ae1f2557100c02a5dcfc5c010514f9c8" target="_blank">In Five Years</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1982137444" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Rebecca Serle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had mixed feelings about this one: full review <u><a href="http://www.bornandreadinchicago.com/2020/02/in-five-years-by-rebecca-serle-arc.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1984806092/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1984806092&linkCode=as2&tag=borandreainch-20&linkId=b47283d4df23f9339559da1be5bf05e5" target="_blank">The Bromance Book Club</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=borandreainch-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1984806092" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Lyssa Kay Adams</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thoroughly enjoyed The Bromance Book Club! I was dubious at first, because it starts at the ‘boy loses girl’ portion of the story and I wondered how I would be moved to care about the fate of a relationship between characters I didn’t know. But the humor and patriarchy-smashing themes made me smile and pulled me in as I got to know these, ultimately, complex characters. Definitely steamy in parts, if that is or isn’t your thing - would highly recommend if you’re looking for a refreshing take on romance. </span>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499042218367596631noreply@blogger.com0