The Pull of the Stars

 Book 76 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from November 28 - December 31

The Pull of the Stars

by Emma Donoghue

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders -- Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumoured Rebel on the run from the police , and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney.
In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other's lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work. 

My Opinion

4 stars

I read this after my mom read it and recommended it to me.  The timing of the book coming out while we are in the midst of a pandemic being compared to the 1918 flu (the setting of this book) is crazy.  The author noted that she began writing it in 2018 and had turned in her final draft prior to everything shutting down but the publishers worked fast to get the book printed and out 4 months after they received it.  It was interesting how little has changed in some regards - masks, washing hands, and staying home were the main recommendations and many people fought those recommendations.

I was absorbed in the writing.  Having many events take place over the span of just a few days, especially when the location didn't change much, added to the feelings of immediacy, exhaustion, and claustrophobia the characters were experiencing.  The author really captured how the medical staff, especially the nurses, were taking on roles they wouldn't normally be allowed to and making do with fewer supplies/staff/breaks.  By setting it in the maternity ward the flu was obviously a main character and impacting all of them but it also showed life happens even in a pandemic and "normal" services are still needed.

I'm glad the book ended when it did because it was the maternity ward and her life in it that was the main interest to me and it was on the edge of "jumping the shark" and completely changing the narrative.  Although I would read more about the boarding houses or the plight of unwed mothers, having it tacked on to this story would've been too much. 

From His Perspective

 Book 75 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from October 1 - December 31

Note: I received this from NetGalley and there will be a full disclaimer in my review.

From His Perspective

by Lisa Keeble

Summary (via NetGalley)

published 2019

In the beginning, there was darkness and The Boss liked the darkness. He'd spent years creating the darkness. He was proud of the darkness. Unfortunately, his assistant Norbert liked to snack while working and had a very sensitive nose. Had he not been in charge of monitoring the black holes this may not have been a problem but, as it was, a violent sneeze launched a single biscuit crumb into the darkness, and it was no more. A huge explosion rocked the Factory (better known to us as Planet Earth) and, for The Boss and Norbert, the real work began - they had to deal with life.
Life, as they found out, had an awful habit of not staying true to their designs, however carefully they drew up the blueprints. Suddenly, there were fish who wanted to live on the land, a dinosaur who went around killing everything it met, and then, of course, there was man — the Boss’ most distinguished and regrettable invention.
He and Norbert watch from their viewing platform as the human race blunders its way through history and do what they can to ensure that the entire species doesn't render itself extinct. They watch as cavemen tackle woolly mammoths in order to fill their larders and provide next season’s wardrobe and quickly regret introducing them to fire. When tyrants rise up against their fellow man in Ancient Egypt, rivers run red with blood and plagues of frogs are visited on the Egyptians as the Boss and Norbert try to distract the evil doers from their purpose. Unfortunately, their intervention does nothing more than interrupt the Egyptian's laundry schedule and promote an increase in sales of sandal cleaner. The Boss has decades of sinus infections and soot covered sandals as Henry VIII and Bloody Mary take power and decide that burning their fellow humans is a perfectly acceptable way to get their point across. Wars, the industrial revolution, slavery and empire building - all it does for Norbert and his Boss is push up their overtime budget, create more paperwork and cause them to stress eat chocolate biscuits. Not only that but the human's blatant disregard for their habitat means braving the really long ladders to make repairs to the ozone layer.

My Opinion

3 stars

**I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it**

This was a cute read.  I loved the perspective of Earth as a factory with employees messing with the ratios/settings to see what sticks.  It got a little heavy handed with the messages about religion and America but since I agree with those messages I didn't mind.

Ghosts of Polk County Iowa

 Book 74 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

Ghosts of Polk County, Iowa

by Tom Welch

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 1988

For most of recorded history, in all parts of the world, there have been accounts of ghosts. Even the skeptics among us would have to admit that in their more reflective moments, they find the possibility of supernatural visitors intriguing. Perhaps that is why we are so interested in them. They are a universal phenomenon. As such, they help us to examine the human condition and better understand our own lives.

I offer my ghost stories as both legends of Polk County and as chronicles of the frightening, heartwarming, and humorous wanderings of the unquiet dead. I have tried most of all to learn the details of their earthly lives and what motivated them to come back from the "other world" after supposedly being laid to rest. The events that lead up to these apparitions are, many times, dramatic tales in themselves.

My Opinion

This is a placeholder review because it is a re-read. My husband was very interested when I read this book myself so I read the book for a second time aloud to him over the course of November and December. 

See my original review earlier this year for my thoughts.

The Nightingale

 Book 73 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from November 9 - December 20

The Nightingale

by Kristin Hannah

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2015

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.
Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

My Opinion

5 stars

The writing was absorbing.  This absolutely didn't feel like a 550+ page book because the details were exquisite but not too much.

The author did an excellent job of showing how the scale slides as circumstances change regarding choices and the gray area of morality (would you save someone else's child if it meant risking your own?)  Both Isabelle's outspokenness and Vianne's naiveté frustrated and angered me at times but I understood Vianne's position, just keeping your head down and waiting for the pendulum to even out and swing back to the "good", more based on my own personality.

There were sections that absolutely gutted me and my eyes were too blurry with tears to read.  The ending was a little mushy but it was still emotional and I'm willing to overlook an unrealistic set of circumstances in the wrap up for the overall journey of the book.  

Quote from the Book

"If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are."

The Playbook

Book 72 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from November 16 - 28

The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life

by Kwame Alexander

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2017

You gotta know the rules to play the game. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for our lives? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own basketball rules to help us get what we wanted, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives?

My Opinion

3 stars

I was introduced to this author through my son and decided to pick up this quick read while unpacking boxes after new bookshelves were installed.  I don't think I'm the only one that hasn't felt up to as much reading as usual in 2020 so a nice, light read was just what I wanted to keep my brain active but not overdone.

The different fonts and pictures make this very accessible for a young person who doesn't like to sit and read.  At first I was concerned about the "all it takes is hard work" message, as though people who don't win or achieve all of their goals just didn't want it enough, but then it settled down into the differences between each person's personal "ceiling".

Know My Name

 Book 71 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from October 17 - November 14

Know My Name

by Chanel Miller

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2019

She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral--viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways--there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

My Opinion

5 stars

The book was very engaging and the author was matter-of-fact but not detached. The people who don't need this message will read this and empathize and the ones who would benefit from reading this won't even pick it up.

I'm not sure if a man reading this would get the undertones that naturally appeared to me.  There were little points that stuck with me, such as it being helpful that she had a boyfriend when trying to explain that she didn't consent.  Also, the point about this egregious outcome actually being the best-case scenario is disgusting:  the situation wasn't ambiguous, she had family support, she had the ability to take time off of work for all the court stuff, etc. 

I had to take time off reading this because the election results were happening and the misogyny was overwhelming.

Quote from the Book

"The judge had given Brock something that would never be extended to me: empathy. My pain was never more valuable than his potential."

The Chick and the Dead

 Book 70 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from October 19 - November 9

The Chick and the Dead: Tales of a Life in Death

by Carla Valentine

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2017

A day in the life of Carla Valentine - technical curator of one of the world's most famous pathology museums, mortician, and "death professional" - is not your average day. She spent ten years training and working as an anatomical pathology technologist, where the mortuary slab was her desk and examine human corpses her daily task. Beginning with the first cut of a body through to the heart, abdomen, and brain, each chapter considers an aspect of the autopsy process alongside Carla's own life, shedding light on what the living can learn from the dead, as well as exploring cultural attitudes toward death and afterlife.

The Chick and the Dead explores themes of life and death, touching on more controversial aspects, including the relationship between death and sex and the toll this line of work takes on the living. Carla Valentine reveals just what it's like to live a life immersed in death. Fascinating and insightful, The Chick and the Dead exposes the truth about what happens when the mortuary doors swing shut or the lid of the coffin closes.

My Opinion

2 stars

I found this book to be jumbled in multiple ways.  The book wasn't personal enough to be a memoir but not general enough to be clinical.  Also, the writing itself jumps around - stories from different times in her life are told at the same time without a clear timeline or anything indicating what is a flashback and what is "present day".

What I liked about the book was how respectful the author was when talking about death and the people she took care of.  It also was more in-depth about processes than anything I've read. 

Ghost Hunter's Daughter

Book 69 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from October 15 - 19

Ghost Hunter's Daughter

by Dan Poblocki

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

Claire doesn't believe in ghosts, even though her dad is a ghost hunter on TV. But then her dad disappears. And a strange boy in her class, Lucas, knows something about ghosts. One of them has a message for her: Her dad has been taken, and he's in grave danger.
Together, Claire and Lucas set out for the town of Hush Falls, where her dad was last seen. Legend says that a tall man in a dark tattered coat lurks near the local reservoir, and anyone who gets too close to old Lemuel Hush is never heard from again.
Claire and Lucas are determined to rescue her father. But how can they save him from the ghost of Hush when everyone knows that seeing the ghost means that you're destined to die...

My Opinion

4 stars

This read more 'Juvenile Fiction' than 'YA' to me and after looking at Goodreads, this appears to be more a shelving issue with my library (they put it in the YA section) because it's described as a "middle-grade" book and I think that's appropriate.

It was well-written with a good length and pace and even though it was an easy read it was unpredictable.  There were a few coincidences that moved the story along but it wasn't anything outlandish.  I was also glad there were adults involved; I don't like it when stories are unnecessarily complicated because people don't talk to each other.

I started off with a 3 star rating but now that I've typed out this review I'm going to bump it up to 4 stars because the only reason I feel 'meh' about it is because I wasn't the right audience.  

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me

Book 68 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 30 - October 17

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me

by Jason Rosenthal

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

On March 3, 2017, Amy Krouse Rosenthal penned an op-ed piece for the New York Times’ “Modern Love” column —”You May Want to Marry My Husband.” It appeared ten days before her death from ovarian cancer. A heartbreaking, wry, brutally honest, and creative play on a personal ad—in which a dying wife encouraged her husband to go on and find happiness after her demise—the column quickly went viral, reaching more than five million people worldwide.
In My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me, Jason describes what came next: his commitment to respecting Amy’s wish, even as he struggled with her loss. Surveying his life before, with, and after Amy, Jason ruminates on love, the pain of watching a loved one suffer, and what it means to heal—how he and their three children, despite their profound sorrow, went on. Jason’s emotional journey offers insights on dying and death and the excruciating pain of losing a soulmate, and illuminates the lessons he learned.
As he reflects on Amy’s gift to him—a fresh start to fill his empty space with a new story—Jason describes how he continues to honor Amy’s life and her last wish, and how he seeks to appreciate every day and live in the moment while trying to help others coping with loss. My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me is the poignant, unreserved, and inspiring story of a great love, the aftermath of a marriage ended too soon, and how a surviving partner eventually found a new perspective on life’s joys in the wake of tremendous loss.

My Opinion

4 stars

If the description interests you, you should read this book because it's well-written and relatable.  I was reading through tears in multiple sections.

I had a passing familiarity with the essay that started it all but I hadn't heard of Amy as an author previously.  The passages he included of hers made me want to check out her books as well and now that I've looked them up, I've read most of her childrens' books and look forward to reading her adult ones as well.  

Revenge of the Spellmans

Book 67 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from October 1 - 14

Revenge of the Spellmans

by Lisa Lutz

Book 3 of the Spellmans series

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2009

Private investigator Isabel Spellman is back on the case and back on the couch -- in court-ordered therapy after getting a little too close to her previous subject.

As the book opens, Izzy is on hiatus from Spellman Inc. But when her boss, Milo, simultaneously cuts her bartending hours and introduces her to a "friend" looking for a private eye, Izzy reluctantly finds herself with a new client. She assures herself that the case -- a suspicious husband who wants his wife tailed -- will be short and sweet, and will involve nothing more than the most boring of PI rituals: surveillance. But with each passing hour, Izzy finds herself with more questions than hard evidence.

Meanwhile, Spellmania continues. Izzy's brother, David, the family's most upright member, has adopted an uncharacteristically unkempt appearance and attitude toward work, life, and Izzy. And their wayward youngest sister, Rae, a historic academic underachiever, aces the PSATs and subsequently offends her study partner and object of obsession, Detective Henry Stone, to the point of excommunication. The only unsurprising behavior comes from her parents, whose visits to Milo's bar amount to thinly veiled surveillance and artful attempts (read: blackmail) at getting Izzy to return to the Spellman Inc. fold.

As the case of the wayward wife continues to vex her, Izzy's personal life -- and mental health -- seem to be disintegrating. Facing a housing crisis, she can't sleep, she can't remember where she parked her car, and, despite her shrinks' persistence, she can't seem to break through in her appointments. She certainly can't explain why she forgets dates with her lawyer's grandson, or fails to interpret the come-ons issued in an Irish brogue by Milo's new bartender. Nor can she explain exactly how she feels about Detective Henry Stone and his plans to move in with his new Assistant DA girlfriend...

My Opinion

4 stars

This is actually a re-read but I guess it was pre-Goodreads because this is my first time reviewing it.  I typically only read things once because there are so many books and so little time but I've been revisiting this series this year as something light and entertaining.  Plus this series is always my 'go-to' recommendation for someone if I don't know their reading tastes (it has a little mystery, a little humor, a little family life, no violence or language) and I want to make sure that still holds up.

Regarding this specific book, it was more about Izzy's life than the mystery and I liked that because it gave more opportunity for the entertaining family dynamic and one-liners. The mystery was interesting though even though it was a little far-fetched.

I'll continue reading the series as a safe, enjoyable way to tune out everything going on.

Merry Murder

Book 66 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 27 - October 1

Merry Murder

by multiple authors

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 1994 (with some stories published in other formats earlier)

There's been a murder under the mistletoe...and it could have been committed by any one of the twenty-two masters of mystery in this spectacular anthology. From such best-selling writers as John D. MacDonald to such classics as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and others, this suspense-filled collections offers a sleigh-full of the most frightfully festive stories of Christmas and murder.

So don't let a little holiday homicide dampen your spirits for the crimes are always solved and the turkey is sure to be served - even if it conceals the murder weapon. Just make your list and check it twice for...Merry Murder!

My Opinion

4 stars

This was an impulse pickup from a library book display.  I know it's not Christmas but the mystery adds a little Halloween too, right?

Overall I liked the book and the short story format is the perfect bandwidth for my brain to handle.  I especially like books like this with multiple authors because it adds to the variety.

I have notes on each story:

Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas: It went in a very unexpected direction with the focus on lawyers and their motivations.  It had an "old-school" feel with the prosecutor and defense battling fiercely in court and then going out for a drink after.

Supper With Miss Shivers: This was my favorite one.  A good reminder that not all mysteries or ghosts have to be evil, this was very sweet and unexpected.  

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle: The conclusions that Sherlock Holmes can draw about a character from seemingly insignificant details is what makes his stories so good.  It was a little "right place at the right time" convenient to move the story along but not so much so that it was unbelievable.

A Matter of Life and Death: This one felt longer than it was.  It was a good premise and conclusion but took time to get through everything; there probably could've been a few less side characters.  This could partly be me as a reader because I'm so unfamiliar with the format (an old-time system of lamps shining in a room to signal answering a phone to dispatch a police officer) so the extra details and conversations made it hard to focus on what was actually necessary.

I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus: It was fine since it was short.  The crime was predictable but the extra details given to the characters added a little more flavor as I was reading.

Dead on Christmas Street:  This was a good story with an unexpected ending.  Again, the times have changed so the method of solving the crime (lying to a suspect about a witness to illicit a confession) would no longer apply but it worked for the story.

The Christmas Bear: This one was very sappy and not my style; the crime wasn't really a crime, more of a vehicle to give a lesson about the miracle of the Christmas spirit.  The phrase, "I wore a white gown [to my wedding], and I had a right to, not like it is today", made me laugh and was an indication of how old-fashioned the characters were.  

Mystery for Christmas:  The writing was decent but I didn't understand the ending at all.

On Christmas Day in the Morning:  Short and sweet.  Like I've mentioned about other stories, I like that this is an older book so the crime solving relies more on clues and human intuition than technology.

Santa Claus Beat: This was the kind of story that all takes place in one room - a crime was committed, nobody left the room, and now you need to figure out what happened. Because of that it was short but I liked it.

Who Killed Father Christmas?: I liked the dry humor.

'Twixt the Cup and the Lip: I didn't like this one because there were too many hijinks and double crosses.  An unexpected clue wrapped it up though so that helped a little.

Auggie Wren's Christmas Story: Meh.  Fine but forgettable.

Murder for Christmas: It felt like the story took a long time because I knew the identity of the corpse way before it was revealed.  Again, the old-fashioned going door-to-door for clues and talking to humans was a nice change of pace from relying on the Internet as people would now.

Father Crumlish Celebrates Christmas: I predicted the reason but not the culprit so it was a surprise.

The Plot Against Santa Claus: I did not like this one at all.  There were too many characters and I was bored.  I put the book down for breaks a lot considering how few pages the story actually was.

Christmas Cop:  I might still be a little off from how much I disliked the previous story but this story was fine, just okay.

But Once a Year...Thank God!: This story had no conclusion so what was the point? I agree with the amateur detective's assessment of the situation but she also threw out multiple theories and the story ended just as the police arrived so there wasn't anything conclusive.

Christmas Party: This started with a bad idea that thankfully didn't go too far off the rails when the author reined it in and kept the ending somewhat positive.

Kelso's Christmas:  The clues for the culprit were pretty heavy-handed and obvious so I was waiting for the characters to reach the same conclusion.  The journey itself wasn't bad though and I didn't expect the actual "gotcha" moment.

The Spy and the Christmas Cipher: The clues moved the story along at a good pace and again, I'm really enjoying the old-fashioned crime solving (in this case, humans gathered together trying to decipher a coded message).

The Carol Singers:  This was surprisingly sad.  I know they're just fictional characters but the old lady's loneliness and death made me sad.  There were some red herrings thrown in for culprits and the ending was a little hectic.

Across the Winding River

 Book 65 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 17 - September 30

Across the Winding River

by Aimie K. Runyan

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

Beth Cohen wants to make the most of the months she has left with her elderly father, Max. His only request of his daughter is to go through the long-forgotten box of memorabilia from his days as a medic on the western front. Then, among his wartime souvenirs, Beth finds a photograph of her father with an adoring and beautiful stranger—a photograph worth a thousand questions.
It was 1944 when Max was drawn into the underground resistance by the fearless German wife of a Nazi officer. Together, she and Max were willing to risk everything for what they believed was right. Ahead of them lay a dangerous romance, a dream of escape, and a destiny over which neither had control.
But Max isn’t alone in his haunting remembrances of war. In a nearby private care home is a fragile German-born woman with her own past to share. Only when the two women meet does Beth realize how much more to her father there is to know, all the ways in which his heart still breaks, and the closure he needs to heal it.

My Opinion

5 stars

I read this book through the Amazon First Reads program for Prime members.  I don't know if that needs a disclosure but since I downloaded it for free I wanted to mention it just in case.

I loved this read!  There was a bit of a leap regarding a coincidence in the present day but it didn't take long for them to make it before moving on with the story so that helped, both because it was easier to accept since it wasn't made into a big discovery and because it opened up the story to spend more time in the past.  My favorite parts of the story were during the flashbacks.  I was nervous as I read even though I knew the narrator (meaning I knew at least certain characters were going to survive), which shows how invested I was. 

The Better Liar

 Book 64 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 23 - 30

The Better Liar

by Tanen Jones

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2020

Robin Voigt is dead. If Leslie had arrived at her sister's cramped Las Vegas apartment just hours earlier, this would have been their first reunion in a decade. In the years since Robin ran away from home as a teenager, Leslie has stayed in New Mexico, taking care of their dying father even as she began building a family of her own. But when their father passed away, Leslie received a rude awakening: She and Robin would received the inheritance he left them together - or not at all. Now her half of the money may be beyond her grasp. And unbeknownst to anyone, Leslie needs it desperately.

When she meets a charismatic young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin - and has every reason to leave her past behind - the two make a reckless bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week in exchange for Robin's half of the cash. But neither realizes how high the stakes will become when Mary takes a dead woman's name. Even as Mary begins to suspect Leslie is hiding something, and Leslie realizes the stranger living in her house, babysitting her newborn son, and charming her husband has secrets of her own, Robin's wild, troubled legacy threatens to eclipse them both.

My Opinion

4 stars

I liked this book against my will.  The premise is ridiculous yet just plausible enough that I understood why they were trying it yet was also waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The writing was great and the pages passed quickly so when I was reading it I was all in.  But then when I would set it down and get back to reality I would see all the potential conflicts and not want to pick it back up again.  That cycle repeated a few more times until I finished.

I don't want to say anything about the ending because even to say whether my expectations were met or not would be a spoiler; if I say it's predictable then the reader knows what's going to happen but if I say it's surprising then the next reader will go in looking for the twist.  What I will say is it was a good read.

So I was very uncomfortable reading it and my stomach hurt when it was over yet I'm also going to immediately give it to my mom to read.

Island of Graves

 Book 63 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 11 - 29

Island of Graves

by Lisa McMann

Book 6 of The Unwanteds series

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2015

Everything Aaron has worked so hard to build in Quill has crumbled. Fallen from the height of power and influence, Aaron must humbly beg for food from those who saved his life.

In Artime, Alex chooses his people over his brother and abandons his search for Aaron. The Artimeans face the terrifying power of a new enemy who has taken control of Quill - the notoriously evil Gondoleery Rattrapp.

Alex embarks on a risky mission to enlist help from the last person he'd ever imagined he would ask. Along the way he's determined to rescue a long sailor from monstrous beasts with mysterious origins - a sailor who might hold the key to showing Alex that the world isn't what he thought it was.

As Alex prepares for an epic war, he must place his faith in a reckless plan...and hope that he and all his friends make it through alive.

My Opinion

5 stars

I was so happy for this book, especially coming after the 5th book that I'd felt was the weakest in the series so far.  I liked Aaron's arc and this adventure/new characters was the most interesting to me so far.  I guess I have a soft spot for old gentle teachers.  

I had tears at the end and can't wait to finish the series with the next book.  

Unspeakable Acts

 Book 62 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 13 - 23

Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit and Obsession

by Sarah Weinman

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2020

Sarah Weinmann, acclaimed author of The Real Lolita, brings together an exemplary collection of recent true-crime tales by over a dozen of the most refreshing and exciting journalists and chroniclers of crime working today. Michelle Dean's "Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom Murdered" went viral when it was first published and is the basis for the television show The Act, while Pamela Colloff's "The Reckoning" is the gold standard for investigative crime journalism. 

With an introduction by Patrick Radden Keefe, this collection showcases true-crime writing across the broadest possible spectrum and reflects on why crime stories are so transfixing and irresistible to the modern reader.

My Opinion

3 stars

This is a collection of true crime stories written by different authors.  They also had all been previously published which may have bothered me if I'd purchased the book but since I checked it out from the library, it didn't.  

As with any book with multiple authors, I liked some writing styles more than others.  There were cases I hadn't heard of and I also learned new things about the cases I had.

Last Couple Standing

Book 61 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 12 - 14

Last Couple Standing

by Matthew Norman

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples. They got married around the same time, had kids around the same time, and now, fifteen years later, they’ve started getting divorced around the same time, too. With three of the Core Four unions crumbling to dust around them, Jessica and Mitch Butler take a long, hard look at their own marriage. Can it be saved? Or is divorce, like some fortysomething zombie virus, simply inescapable?
To maximize their chance at immunity, Jessica and Mitch try something radical. Their friends’ divorces mostly had to do with sex—having it, not having it, wanting to have it with other people—so they decide to relax a few things. Terms are discussed, conditions are made, and together the Butlers embark on the great experiment of taking their otherwise happy, functional marriage and breaking some very serious rules.
Jessica and Mitch are convinced they’ve hit upon the next evolution of marriage. But as lines are crossed and hot bartenders pursued, they each start to wonder if they’ve made a huge mistake. What follows is sexy, fun, painful, messy, and completely surprising to them both. Because sometimes doing something bad is the only way to get to the heart of what’s really good. 

My Opinion

4 stars

I'm giving this 4 stars because of all the feelings it gave me even though the majority of those feelings were anger and discomfort.  My husband was glad I read it quickly because he was tired of me yelling, "What??? NO!!!  That's not a good idea!!!"

It read very easily with short chapters.  It made me uncomfortable with how realistic it felt.  The characters didn't take a huge jump off a cliff, they just stepped one foot further at a time over multiple conversations and actions - would they realize it before they were too far gone or would they look back and realize it was too late?  

A Very Punchable Face

Book 60 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from September 8 - 12

A Very Punchable Face

by Colin Jost

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

If there’s one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch—metaphorically and, occasionally, physically. 
From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.
You’ll also discover things about Jost that will surprise and confuse you, like how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, how Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, how an insect laid eggs inside his legs, and how he competed in a twenty-five-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). You’ll go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update (where he’s written some of the most memorable sketches and jokes of the past fifteen years). And you’ll experience the life of a touring stand-up comedian—from performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall.
For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother’s experience on the scene of the Twin Towers’ collapse on 9/11). Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy—with a face you can’t help but want to punch.

My Opinion

4 stars

There were black & white photos throughout the text of the book and a collection of color photos in the middle.  This is a detail I always note when reviewing a memoir; photos enhance the experience for me.  Although I don't listen to audiobooks, if he reads it himself it would be interesting just to hear his anger during the chapter about his experience at Google.  I read an interview of his about the incident and he was still (understandably) very upset.

Although the book stretched the boundaries of "how many times can this guy fuck up, both here and abroad, with zero or minimal consequences?", I really enjoyed the read.  The chapter about shitting his pants multiple times was worth the price of admission (especially since I checked it out from the library so it was free - look, I have jokes too!) and on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, him talking about his mom was very touching as well.

Best out-of-context quote from the book: "Nothing says "I'm heading to a mental institution" like crafting an anus out of stained glass."

Untamed

 Book 59 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 31 - September 10 

Untamed

by Glennon Doyle

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2020

There is a voice of longing inside each of us. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn't it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent - even from ourselves.

For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There. She. Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice - the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world's expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living.

Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member's ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.

My Opinion

4 stars

This is the kind of book that is more about the experience.  I believe a reader will already know going in whether they will enjoy reading it or not.  So while this won't be much of a review on the book itself, I have opinions and would love to talk about them with someone that has read it.

I really liked this format because each section is only a few pages long so I could read it and then sit with it.  The story about eating and the differences between asking teen girls and teen boys if they're hungry really resonated with me as something incredibly obvious once it was pointed out but not something I'd ever noticed before.

It was very intense which I enjoyed as a reader but also made me squirm, as most memoirs do, when I think about the other people mentioned, particularly her children.  But she seems better equipped than most to handle their boundaries appropriately so this isn't a negative about this specific book, more something I notice about my own reactions whenever I read a memoir.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"Because what scares me a hell of a lot more than pain is living my entire life and missing my becoming. What scares me more than feeling it all is missing it all."

"Listen. Every time you're given a choice between disappointing someone else and disappointing yourself, your duty is to disappoint that someone else. Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself."

"Privilege is being born on third base. Ignorant privilege is thinking you're there because you hit a triple."

The Holdout

Book 58 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 25 - September 7

The Holdout

by Graham Moore

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2020

It's the most sensational case of the decade. Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar real estate fortune, vanishes on her way home from school, and her teacher, Bobby Nock, is the prime suspect. The subsequent trial taps straight into American's most pressing preoccupations: race, class, sex, law enforcement, and the lurid sins of the rich and famous. It's an open-and-shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed - until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, convinced of Nock's innocence, persuades the rest of the jurors to return the verdict of not guilty, a controversial decision that will change all their lives forever.

Flash forward ten years. A true-crime docuseries reassembles the jury, with particular focus on Maya, now a defense attorney herself. When one of the jurors is found dead in Maya's hotel room, all evidence points to her as the killer. Now she must prove her own innocence - by getting to the bottom of a case that is far from closed.

As the present-day murder investigation weaves together with the story of what really happened during their deliberation, told by each of the jurors in turn, the secrets they have all been keeping threaten to come out - with drastic consequences for all involved.

My Opinion

4 stars

This book had the right amount of tension.  I was interested and wanted to continue reading but it wasn't so anxiety-inducing that I wanted to skip ahead and relieve the pressure.  The book was more about the psychology of people living with the decisions they made, as well as the aftermath (returning a "not guilty" verdict doesn't mean the defendant can return to a "normal" life when the court of public opinion disagrees) and I thought that was an unique take.    

Changing viewpoints both between the jurors and also between 2009 and 2019 sounds like it could be confusing but it was handled well and really added to the story.  The different viewpoints in addition to having Maya be a defense attorney removed some of the issues mysteries can sometimes run into (why would someone tell her that?  How did she have access to those files?)...I'm not saying it was completely plausible but it was definitely more believable because of these points.

I didn't see the ending coming.   There is payoff with answers on both cases but the author did a good job of keeping with the theme of the book and leaving a little ambiguity.

Quote from the Book

"...if Maya had internalized one truth from the doubt surrounding Jessica Silver's death, it was that no one was safe from their fellow citizens. Anyone could be killed; anyone could be suspected. Anyone could find themselves at the end of a long line of bad decisions and feel they had no other option but to do something terrible."

Ghosts of Polk County

 Book 57 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 24 - September 3

Ghosts of Polk County, Iowa

by Tom Welch

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 1988

For most of recorded history, in all parts of the world, there have been accounts of ghosts. Even the skeptics among us would have to admit that in their more reflective moments, they find the possibility of supernatural visitors intriguing. Perhaps that is why we are so interested in them. They are a universal phenomenon. As such, they help us to examine the human condition and better understand our own lives.

I offer my ghost stories as both legends of Polk County and as chronicles of the frightening, heartwarming, and humorous wanderings of the unquiet dead. I have tried most of all to learn the details of their earthly lives and what motivated them to come back from the "other world" after supposedly being laid to rest. The events that lead up to these apparitions are, many times, dramatic tales in themselves.

My Opinion

3 stars

When the derecho knocked out our power and I saw I had this book from the library, I knew it was the perfect time to read it.  

The following description will sound negative but it's not; I'm not stating these qualities as a bad thing, just as something to note so the reader knows what they're getting.  It's a "local interest" book, published in 1988 with typewritten font and occasional typos that indicates either self or small publishing.  The stories themselves are not gory or overly scary.  It reminds me of campfire stories for a family...I could see my kids' grandparents telling them these.  So I think the local libraries should continue to carry it and I think fellow Iowans could get a little kick out of it but I'm not recommending it wholeheartedly to everyone. 

So as I mentioned, this book is definitely for a niche audience.  I live in Polk County, Iowa so the familiarity of the locations made this a light, fun read.  It's also good to note that not all ghosts have to be mean or have bad intentions (such as Ben Knowles making sure his repair shop continues to run smoothly) or even human (such as Alfie the pig winning the blue ribbon).

I read a few aloud to my family and they asked for more so this may end up as a "re-read" down the line for me if I read the whole book to them.

My Favorite Story

"Bobby's Skates"

The Best We Could Do

Book 56 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 21 - 27

The Best We Could Do

by Thi Bui

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2017

This illustrated memoir is about the search for a better future and a longing for the past. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s, and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves.
 At the heart of Bui’s story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first-time mother, she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent—the endless sacrifices, the unnoticed gestures, and the depths of unspoken love. Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child, Bui pushes through. 

My Opinion

4 stars

Adding the illustrations/graphic novel aspects to her memoir really enhanced the story.  Breaking it up into panels and not having a lot of words made it jarring and not entirely explained or wrapped up, which is how the author said she received the information she was able to get from her parents.

The ending brought me to tears.  It also reminded me this is a history I'm entirely unfamiliar with; I know very little about Vietnam and what I do know is through the American lens of the Vietnam War.

What Makes a Marriage Last

Book 55 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 6 - 24

What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life

by Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2020

What makes a marriage last? Who doesn't want to know the answer to that question? To unlock this mystery, iconic couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue crisscrossed the country and conducted intimate conversations with forty celebrated couples whose long marriages they've admired - from award-winning actors, athletes, and newsmakers to writers, comedians, musicians, and a former U.S. president and First Lady. Through these conversations, Marlo and Phil also revealed the rich journey of their own marriage.

What Makes a Marriage Last offers practical and heartfelt wisdom for couples of all ages, and a rare glimpse into the lives of husbands and wives we have come to know and love. Marlo and Phil's frequently funny, often touching, and always engaging conversations span the marital landscape - from that first rush of new love to keeping that precious spark alive, from navigating hard times to celebrating triumphs, from balancing work and play and family to growing better and stronger together. At once intimate, handed, revelatory, hilarious, instructive, and poignant, this book is a beautiful gift for couples of every age and stage.

My Opinion

5 stars

I loved this book because it was conversational people-watching at its best.  The story of each couple was stand-alone so reading here and there throughout the day was easy and left me with a good feeling.  I was sad when it was over.  Random fact: there were a collective 1,252 years of marriage (as of the time of publication) in this book!  I'm assuming that only refers to the current marriages because a few of them took a few tries to get it "right", haha.

The pictures of each couple from their wedding were amazing and the format of them doing the interviews in person as a foursome (like a double date), usually in the comfort of their own homes, led to natural, spontaneous conversations.  Even when it turned to difficult or sad topics, there was still an undertone of hope, probably because I knew they wouldn't be in the book if they hadn't made it through.  I liked how the authors sprinkled their own story throughout but didn't steer the narrative too much; much of the book was just transcripts of the conversations rather than their interpretations/recollections.

They made audio recordings of every conversation and if they had done video I would watch it!  This would be a great short-form, YouTube series.  Random fact: the only couples to "double-tape" (the interviewed couple taped the conversation as well) were Jesse and Jacqueline Jackson and Bob and Else Woodward.

It had a wide variety of people and their stories were interesting even if I wasn't familiar with them.  The authors also made a point to include same-sex couples because even though their years of marriage may not qualify in a typical "longevity" book, that was because of the legalities and not because of a lack of commitment.