Spare

 Book 12 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from 1/19 - 1/31

Spare

by Prince Harry

My Opinion

4 stars

This isn't a review of fact-checking or deep diving into the details of the book because that's not my interest and there is a lot of content out there already for readers looking for that information. I will say that it's human nature, especially with trauma, to lose some accuracy about timing or details and it's frustrating to see people use inconsistencies as a reason to dismiss the entire book and/or invalidate his feelings.

I'm an avid watcher of the Royal Family but as an American, I don't have any exposure to U.K. tabloids and don't really seek it out.  My interest is more in the history of past generations, how different individuals handled their roles, and how the institution has remained a viable thing (and if that will continue in the future).  I'm interested in the current generation and events - I watched all the footage of the weddings, funerals, interviews, etc. - but don't have a "side" I'm on.  I'm really sad that William and Harry don't have each other for support but I'm happy for the progress they each appear to have made individually in their engagement with their wives and children.

Now that I've made that general statement, on to how I felt about the book...

 The short chapters that jump in and out both make a long book pass by very quickly and also adds to the feelings of memory gaps or hazes he mentions experiencing multiple times.  I could feel his pain and while I bet the audiobook is good, I think it would be too much for me to hear his voice read these words.

Sometimes I forget just how long the history is until a reference like the carriage the Queen rode in for her Jubilee was built before the American Revolution; not only is it still around but has been maintained well enough to continue to be used.

The line about flashes from photographers being the last thing his mother saw hit me hard.  I sat and reflected on that for awhile.

He told his story as he felt it but he also maintained a level of respect.  He didn't name many people and even though he said he didn't believe it, he did give his brother credit for saying he just wanted him to be happy in one of their last meetings.

Everything My Mother Taught Me

 Book 11 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read on January 30

Everything My Mother Taught Me

by Alice Hoffman

My Opinion

5 stars

This short story is part of the Inheritance collection available through Amazon Prime reading.  It centers around Adeline and what occurs when she and her widowed mother move to an island for a job in a lighthouse.  I'm glad I didn't read the description ahead of time because even the vague plot points would've affected what I was anticipating; I had no idea what was going to happen.

It was engrossing.  It had great pacing and the author was able to convey a lot of feelings in a short amount of time.

A Heart That Works

 Book 10 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from 1/20 - 1/29

A Heart That Works

by Rob Delaney

Summary (via Goodreads)

In 2016, Rob Delaney’s one-year-old son, Henry, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The family had moved from Los Angeles to London with their two young boys when Rob’s wife was pregnant with Henry, their third. The move was an adventure that would bind them even more tightly together as they navigated the novelty of London, the culture clashes, and the funhouse experience of Rob’s fame—thanks to his role as co-creator and co-star of the hit series Catastrophe. Henry’s illness was a cataclysm that changed everything about their lives. Amid the hospital routine, surgeries, and brutal treatments, they found a newfound community of nurses, aides, caregivers, and fellow parents contending with the unthinkable. Two years later, Henry died, and his family watched their world fall away to reveal the things that matter most. 

A Heart That Works is Delaney’s intimate, unflinching, and fiercely funny exploration of what happened – from the harrowing illness to the vivid, bodily impact of grief and the blind, furious rage that followed, through to the forceful, unstoppable love that remains. In the madness of his grief, Delaney grapples with the fragile miracle of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind. 

Delaney’s memoir—profound, painful, full of emotion, and bracingly honest—offers solace to those who have faced devastation and shows us how grace may appear even in the darkest times.

My Opinion

4 stars

I read this aloud with my husband and through his tears when we finished he said he gets to pick the book next time.  This was a tough read but in a good way - it was unflinching and honest.

This felt more like a book that the author needed to write than a book that needed an audience.  There is an audience for the book and its praise is well-earned but Delaney wrote like he needed to purge and we as the readers just happened to be here to witness it.  I'm glad we were able to witness it.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"In between Henry's birth and his death was, of course, his life. That was my favourite part."

"I'm not exactly in the sunset of my life life, but I have definitely eaten lunch."

The Best American Short Stories 2020

 Book 9 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from 1/16 - 1/22

The Best American Short Stories 2020

by various authors

My Opinion

3 stars

The stories chosen were published between January 2019 and January 2020 but even though the stories themselves didn't reflect it, the foreword and introduction from late 2020 talk about short stories in the context of the pandemic.  I agree with them and have mentioned it in previous reviews - I found myself reading many more short stories than usual because I didn't have the emotional bandwidth for a full novel.  It is also sad to read the optimism of "2020 will be known as the year of the pandemic" because we didn't expect the divisiveness and how long everything has lasted.

My favorite was The Nine-Tailed Fox Explains.

Godmother Tea

I felt like there was something below the surface of this story but I couldn't find it, making it feel longer than it was.  Not a bad story, just not for me.

The Apartment

That was unexpected.  I definitely would've bet on him as well.

A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed

I wanted more of a resolution after journeying through that whole story.

Sibling Rivalry

Even though the title didn't really fit the material this was a good story with a fascinating concept.  I would read a full book about this new world, there is a lot of potential there.

The Nanny

Kayla was impulsive and a tough character to get a read on but that's the point.

Halloween

It ended abruptly but I'm also glad it ended before Jules went to the party because I wouldn't have been able to handle the secondhand embarrassment.  She was written as a teen in love so well it made me cringe.

Something Street

Absorbing and sad.

This is Pleasure

This was a tough story to read because the characters were so understandable even when wrong.  It covered the grey areas of power dynamics and times shifting really well.

In the Event

It felt like madness yet also inevitable.  Hard to tell what was real and what was imagined.

The Children

The story passed very quickly.  I wasn't really invested because characters were introduced, big resolutions were wrapped up in a sentence or two, and then the story moved on.

Rubberdust

That story was tough to read because I could feel it so clearly.  It made me sad and sweaty.

It's Not You

The story is foggy just like the character's memory.  It reminds me of talking to a tipsy person where the sentences are jumpy but you can make a coherent thought out of them if you focus.

Liberte

Reading about her in the third person instead of first adds to the detachment the character is feeling with her life.  

Howl Palace

It made me sad that she didn't seem to have anything to show for her life as she was reflecting on it.

The Nine-Tailed Fox Explains

My favorite, this had a great story arc and good length.

The Hands of Dirty Children

This story was really vivid and emotional.

Octopus VII

That didn't go the way I expected but I'm happy about it.

Enlightenment

I was so nervous reading this because I thought the story was going in a different direction.  The ending kind of petered out but that felt like a good thing since there wasn't the drama I expected to happen.

Kennedy

Yikes, that was intense.  I roller coastered through many feelings about Kennedy but I mainly felt sorry for him.

The Special World

I was absorbed in that story.

The Light We Carry

 Book 8 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from January 13 - 19

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

by Michelle Obama

Summary (via Goodreads)

There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life's big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles--the earned wisdom that helps her continue to "become." She details her most valuable practices, like "starting kind," "going high," and assembling a "kitchen table" of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.

My Opinion

4 stars

I'm reminded how safe I felt when the Obamas were in the White House.  They didn't pretend to have all the answers but I trusted their statements and judgement.  I also appreciate the foundation they have in their family and themselves.

It's empowering to read a book by a woman who is so grounded in herself.  She has a powerful husband and supports him but is also powerful in her own right.  Yet she's also vulnerable...reading the litany of criticisms she sometimes feels about herself when she looks in the mirror was surprising.

My mom has MS so I really resonated with the beginning of the book when she talked about the family's vigilance in observing obstacles.  We also make adaptations that are so second nature at this point we forget others don't have to think about the things we do when making plans.

I also took a moment to reflect on Ketanji Brown Jackson's point about activism.  There's a hidden cost to having to fight for your rights that I hadn't considered; it takes mental and physical time away from other activities (in her example, studying or extracurriculars in college because of protesting a Confederate flag), yet another way the gap between the majority and minority remains wide.

Stories Found in my Rearview Mirror

Book 7 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from September 2022 - 1/18

Stories Found in my Rearview Mirror

by Floyd Gardner

Summary (via the book jacket)

In this personal memoir, Gardner remembers Iowa in the 1940s and 1950s and relates those recollections. Sometimes funny - sometimes sad - but always heartwarming, the stories take older Iowans back to a time and place that causes them to pause and they, too, recall incidents from their past. For younger readers this book provides a look at Iowa's history, when it was a different place with different values. But the stories don't end in mid-twentieth century. Readers travel with Floyd into the 21st Century for a look at retirement as he and his wife travel the country in an RV.

My Opinion

3 stars

I chose this book from the "Iowa" section of the library as something my husband and I could read together.  Although most of his 'Iowa" stories are about his hometown of Ossian, I found out randomly through a friend's Facebook post that he currently lives in the same town we do.  He is still active and writing; I've seen his Facebook posts shared by multiple friends recently, especially speaking against our governor's current push for public funds for private school vouchers.

My husband grew up on a farm and even though he's much younger than the author, certain aspects of farm life remain the same (plus he works for John Deere) so he had a lot of familiarity with the stories.  The author also had many experiences not related to farm life as he was in the military and trying out different careers so we never knew what was coming next; he seems to have lived a million different lives in all his travels.

It was a good book to read together a few stories at a time and I'm sure this book is an absolute treasure for his family because of the memories he's shared.  Some of the stories may be a little too "I guess you had to be there" for a general audience but overall we really enjoyed winding through his life. 

If He Had Been With Me

 Book 6 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from 1/11 - 1/16

If He Had Been With Me

by Laura Nowlin

Summary (via the book jacket)

Autumn and Finn used to be inseparable. But then something changed. Or they changed. Now, they do their best to ignore each other.

Autumn has her boyfriend, Jamie, and her close-knit group of friends. Finn has become that boy at school, the one everyone wants to be around.

That still doesn't stop the way Autumn feels every time she and Finn cross paths, and the growing, nagging thought that maybe things could have been different. Maybe they should be together.

And as time passes, Autumn realizes she might not get another chance to make things right before it's too late.

My Opinion

4 stars

I would've read this book faster but I had to put it away for a little bit because it was coincidentally too close to another book I was reading at the same time and I was getting them confused.

It was a switch to have characters be embarrassed they used to be popular or explaining why they know the "cool" kids.  It was also unusual to have so much time pass by, especially since there were hardly any changes in romantic pairings or friendship groups.  The book itself felt long because of the time covered but the pages passed quickly because of short chapters.

Once graduation hit I couldn't put it down.  My heart hurts but I'm also happy things progressed the way they did.