Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family (Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand)

Why I have this book: When the price dropped substantially, I bought the Kindle edition.

So glad I didn't pay full price. This book was BORING until the last handful of chapters. Lots of name-dropping, lots of accomplishments and bragging for how amazing Meghan is, blah, blah, blah.

The last little bit was more interesting as it detailed how the split from the royal family went down according to Harry and Meghan's point of view. I'm glad they got the chance to show their side of it.

Overall, there is a ton of privilege going on in the world of royals, and most of us can't relate to it. I would never want to live in that world. Even though they don't have to worry about finances and have incredible opportunities and benefits, they give up far too much for it. And honestly, I could never live in Britain and feel that I should curtsey to anyone. I'm sorry, but nobody in the royal family is better than anyone else just because they were born into or married into that bloodline. It's really so archaic.

I gave this two stars on Goodreads.

Clean. I don't recall any swearing or anything else offensive.

The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life (Janice Kaplan)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from the ebook library.

The author narrated the audio version, and she did a great job. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The only problem with this audiobook was that I couldn't highlight this one quote that I loved:

"It's such a waste of mental energy to be furious that something isn't the way you want it to be. Fighting life is what causes problems. When you can accept life on life's terms, you pave the way for a measure of peace that you miss otherwise."

Lots of good advice and information to think about in this one. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

This book does have one or two swear words, and that includes the F-word (the author was quoting someone else). Otherwise, it was clean.

Miracle Creek Christmas (Krista Jensen)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from DBS+ as an audiobook because I wanted something Christmasy to listen to in my sewing room.

I enjoyed this story. It fit the bill perfectly... nice and light read, not too cheesy, easy to follow even while sewing. I picked it just from browsing what was available that had a Christmas theme, and I wasn't disappointed in my choice.

I'm going to give this book three stars on Goodreads whenever the site stops having issues!

Clean, although there was definitely some simmering heat going on from time to time.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Trevor Noah)

Why I have this book: I bought it for Kindle on the recommendation of a friend and as part of my desire to understand racism more fully. I'm not sure it served that purpose entirely since the book (a memoir) is set in South Africa. There is definite racism there, but I'm not sure how similar it is to the racism that exists in America. (Is racism the same everywhere? I don't think it is due to cultural differences.)

Anyway, I gave this book three stars on Goodreads. I liked it and found it very interesting and even entertaining. I'm impressed by the author and what he has accomplished after a challenging childhood and such humble and troubled beginnings. I don't think it's common in areas of the world where struggle is the norm to see people move on from their culture and circumstances. I really admire his mother, as well. She sounds like an amazingly strong woman.

I probably would have given it four stars, but I got very tired of the swearing. Still, it was fascinating to see what life is like in the townships of South Africa. It's so far removed from anywhere I've ever lived, and I think that's part of what "white privilege" is about.

Lots of swearing, but I don't remember anything else that was offensive. There are descriptions of spousal abuse, including an attempted murder, and the kind of difficult experiences common in communities such as the areas where the author grew up.

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety (Jen Lancaster)

Why I have this book: It was an Amazon First Reads selection, so it was free, thank goodness. I got about 18% through it, and honestly didn't care enough to keep coming back. I checked the Amazon reviews (now that more people have had a chance to read it), and there were plenty of one-star reviews that let me know it's not likely to get better.

In a word... BORING. I'm just going to delete it from my account altogether because I doubt I'd ever try to read it again.

I didn't read enough to say much about the content, but from the Amazon reviews, it has lots of "colorful" language. I'm guessing there were some bad words in the part I read, but it's been a while since I picked it up, so I don't remember.

I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzai)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle version years ago, and at that time, I chose to get the Young Reader's Edition so my teenagers would be more likely to read it. Recently, I decided to listen to it, and I couldn't decide if I should listen to the original version or the Young Reader's Edition. After doing some research, I decided to stick with the Young Reader's.

From what I read online, this version is told more from Malala's perspective with fewer tangents about her homeland, family history, etc. I enjoyed it very much. The narrator read with an accent, and it was easy to imagine it was Malala telling her own story. 

Side note: The narrator (Neela Vaswani) won a Grammy for this narration. She's an American who doesn't have an accent in real life from what I can tell. (I found a video of her speaking at what appears to be a school.) Her father is Sindhi-Indian, so maybe that helped her with the Pakistani accent. She did a great job!

I gave this book five stars on Goodreads. I love books that help me expand my vision of what life is like outside my little corner of the world. It's a "triumph of the human spirit" type of book. I also appreciated the glimpse into Malala's relationship with God throughout her life and in her experiences. There's a lot to learn there.

I definitely need to let this one settle in my mind and heart.

Clean. It does share the reality of life under the Taliban.

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (David D. Burns)

Why I have this book: I had a print edition years ago, then I bought the Kindle edition because I think I gave the print version away. Then I discovered audiobooks, so I ended up buying it on Audible and just finished listening to it while making doll quilts for my grandkids for Christmas. Perfect.

I gave this book three stars on Goodreads. I liked a lot of the advice in it on how to apply Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, analyzing distorted thoughts, etc. That part was worthwhile, and I think useful for so many people who struggle with moodiness, anxiety, and depression.

There was too much swearing for my taste, and the last part of the book was about the use of anti-depressants, how they work (all sorts of biological explanations), the history of many types of those medications, etc. That wasn't that interesting to me, but obviously was a good thing for him to include.

I found this a little annoying: In one example, the woman used his advice to win her husband back (from the woman he cheated with) by basically doing all those dumb things women were told to do in the olden days: reward him with sex when he does something right, give him lots of compliments, always be pleasant, etc. Another woman learned to see things through her husband's eyes ("He couldn't help himself. He found her attractive even though he still loves me.") so she could not only forgive him, but also not feel bad about the situation and even understand it.

Gag. I'd be like, "Your loss, dude. Feel free to try to win ME back."

Mostly clean. Like I said, there was more swearing than I like. He mentioned sex several times, but I think it was always in the context of symptoms of depression (loss of interest in sex) and other psychiatric applications, as well as in situations as mentioned above.

A Night Divided (Jennifer A. Nielsen)

Why I have this book: I bought it in print (I think at a Scholastic Book Fair at my kids' school) a handful of years ago. I borrowed the ebook version so I could finally get around to reading it (because reading in bed is way easier with a Paperwhite instead of a book).

I liked this book a lot. I probably would have tweaked the last bit if I could and then added an Epilogue, but it was still really good. I was on the edge of my seat (figuratively, since I was reading in bed) the whole last bit of it. It was so intense.

I'd totally recommend this book. I'm hoping my twelve-year-old daughter will read it next.

Clean. It does deal with the ways the secret police treated "suspicious" people in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall was still a thing, but it's not descriptive.

Miracle on 49th Street (Mike Lupica)

Why I have this book: I bought the print version because a friend recommended it to me years ago. Since I'm a dedicated Kindle user, I borrowed the Kindle version recently to finally read it.

I liked it enough to give it three stars on Goodreads. I was curious about the fact that this book was published in 2006 and the movie The Game Plan came out in 2007. They have very similar storylines, except the daughter in the book is twelve, while the daughter in the movie seems about eight or so. (They may have said her age in the movie, but I don't recall.) Also, the book is about a basketball player, and the movie is about football. Other than that, it's very similar, although the book has a more serious tone.

Like other books I've recently read, the twelve-year-old protagonist seems older than her age. In this story, though, maybe it fits. She grew up only with her mom, and then she lost her mom. That probably forced her to do some emotional growing up in a hurry.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I know it's written for a younger crowd, but they'd have to be somewhat familiar with NYC and NBA team names, I think, or they might not quite understand some of the locations and situations.

Clean. I don't remember any swearing or anything inappropriate at all.

A Simple Vow (Charlotte Hubbard)

Why I have this book: I bought it because the price dropped on the Kindle version. And then after I bought it, I looked back at my review of the book series from which this book was a "spin-off," and I didn't have super high reviews there. Still, I was hoping this new book (the first of a series) would at least be worth three-stars.

Nope. I mean, it's not the worst book I ever read, but it was pretty lame. I probably would have turned it in early had I borrowed it, but since I spent $1.99 on it, I decided I better finish it. It wasn't worth it.

I gave it one star on Goodreads.

It's a Christian-based book, but there is a storyline involving pre-marital sex that results in conception.

The Mother-in-Law (Sally Hepworth)

Why I have this book: My friend recommended it, so I bought it on Kindle because it was pretty inexpensive.

I liked this book a lot. I was telling my husband about it, and he was perplexed by the storyline. He wondered what the point was. (Does a book always have to have a point? Sometimes it's just for entertainment!)

I feel like this book did have a point, though. It was about relationships and dynamics in families and how we don't always understand where someone else is coming from and how we don't always know each other very well even after years of sharing family ties. (I know that was a terrible sentence.) 

It had a quote about being a mother-in-law that I completely agreed with, so much so that I took a picture of it. I don't really want to type it all in, but it was basically about how there's all these unwritten rules for mothers-in-law, and how we know we're going to get it wrong, so it's intimidating to even try sometimes. All fathers-in-law have to do, though, is be welcoming. Nothing else is expected of them.

The actual quote is much better.

There were a couple of loose ends for me, but I still really liked it. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

There were a few F-words and some other swear words. There is an unwed pregnancy, a possible murder and/or suicide. One character is stepping out on his wife. You know, just your typical modern family. Haha...

A Northern Light (Jennifer Donnelly)

Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, so I borrowed it from the ebook library. I actually borrowed the audiobook first, but I just couldn't get my brain into it, so then I borrowed the ebook.

I really liked this book. Once I had gotten my bearings in the ebook, I wished I had the audio version as well so I could stay entrenched in the story no matter what I was doing.

I don't really know how to describe it, but it just felt raw and earthy. Maybe I'm just in a "feelings" mood lately, but I was fully sucked into this story and could feel the emotions of the main character Mattie. It's still kind of processing in my brain the day after I finished it.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

There's definitely some creepy sexual stuff in this book... like a gross guy who likes exposing himself and an illicit affair (although I wouldn't necessarily consider it consensual) that is mildly descriptive, and some other "coming of age" sexuality that's not graphically described. It doesn't come across as a positive thing, necessarily, and almost seems out of place. There is also some swearing, but no F-bombs.

Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor E. Frankl)

Why I have this book: I have had it in print form for years and years, bought the Kindle edition a couple of years ago, then listened to the audio version. :) I'm pretty sure I did read it back in the day, but as with many books, life experience adds to the meaning a book has in our lives when we read it again.

This book got a solid 5 stars from me on Goodreads. Can I just tell you how often I walk around whining, "What is the purpose of my life???" Haha... 

Not that this book answered that question for me, but it validated my reason for asking that question! It helped me to understand why that's important for me to find and understand. It gave me some things to think about in discovering my purpose now that I don't have such little children to focus on all day.

And of course, reading about concentration camps and war and what I like to call "the triumph of the human spirit" is always meaningful to me. I stand in awe of the people who came before me and experienced those hard times with dignity and greatness. Listening to the book during this year of Covid gave me some perspective, as well. There were a few times I just wanted to cry for the horrors humans had to face during the Holocaust. 

Clean, although the author does briefly mention the lack of sexual desire among the prisoners when just survival was the primary need. The second part of the book talks about sexuality in a psychological realm, and it's a little more detailed than I'd want my teenagers to read.

You Are the Mother Your Children Need (Christie Gardiner)

Why I have this book: I bought the hard cover several years ago. It was probably on sale at DB or Seagull Book or something. Then I found out it was available as an audio version on DBS+, so I borrowed it and listened to it instead.

I liked this book, and I probably would have liked it better as a young mom than where I am now. I mean, some of it was still helpful (especially the parts about giving ourselves grace and mercy in our mothering efforts), but it would have been good to read it back in the day.

Some of it brought up the same feelings that some of the books I did read as a young mom brought up, like an urgency to get it right, to do more than came naturally, like I can't quite measure up, etc.

In any case, it was good and definitely had more compassion and reality than the Richard and Linda Eyre books I read while raising my family. Those books just set impossible standards for me to meet, with too many things I had to think about accomplishing as a parent. This one was much better.

I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

Clean.

Before I Let You Go (Kelly Rimmer)

Why I have this book: I bought it at a good price on Kindle because I had like another of the author's books.

Okay, so I did like this book a lot. It was a sad tale about drug addiction, and while it was probably meant to expand the way society views drug addicts (and I think it succeeded there), the family in the story was still in a much better situation than a lot of families of drug addicts. Meaning, the financial aspect, the flexibility in work, etc... I don't think that's very common for most Americans. 

Overall, it was a moving story that brought on all the emotions. There was way too liberal use of the F-word. I thought might have been because the one who used it the most — if not all the time — was the drug addict, but my friend said she's tried a couple of other books by this author, and it was happening in those books, too.

Okay, so I mentioned in a previous review of a book by this author (I think it was The Things We Cannot Say) that she kept using the word "tin" for "can" (as in "a tin of soup") even though the character was American. In this book, she uses the word "cot" for "crib" which again threw me off. The author is Australian, but this book was also set in America. I can't believe her editor didn't catch that. It happened over and over with her calling a crib a "cot."

Maybe being Australian is also why the F-word is being used so much in her books. (I know I'm stereotyping, and I think I've mentioned before that maybe other people think Americans all use the F-word constantly. A lot of Americans do, but not so much in my world.) 

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Lots of F-words and probably other swear words, too. Drug addiction, child sexual abuse (not descriptive), death, and an unmarried couple living together are a part of this story. There IS a story here, though, and it's an important one when drug abuse is so rampant in society.

Echo Mountain (Lauren Wolk)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version because I've really liked two other books by the author. 

I liked this book a whole lot. :) I gave it five stars on Goodreads, although (like another book of hers), I'd have given it 4.7 if that was an option. My only "complaint" (if you can call it that) is that the protagonist is a 12-year-old girl, and just like the last book of hers that I read, she just thinks and acts so much older than that. My daughter is almost twelve, and I'm pretty confident that she would never think like this girl does or be confident in doing what she does. The girl (Ellie) feels more like seventeen to me than twelve, although I don't think most teenage or even young adult girls of today have the depth Ellie has.

Other than that, I really loved the book. I love the way Lauren Wolk writes and the feeling she creates with her words. It's really very beautiful. The narrator of this version did a great job, too, except for the younger brother's voice, which was too whiny and annoying for me. Haha...

Clean. I don't recall even a mild swear word appearing in this book.

If I Were You (Lynn Austin)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because I've liked a lot of books by this author.

Well, this story was pretty intriguing all the way through until the end. I was so curious about how things would be resolved and what was going to happen next, and the book was well written all the way through. It was easy to get caught up in the storyline and picture everything that was happening. That made it disappointing when things tied up the way they did. It was a little too easy, I thought.

Still, it was an enjoyable read. I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

Clean for the most part. There is a situation that leads to adultery, but it's not made out to be an acceptable choice, and there is no graphic sexuality. I don't recall any swearing or anything offensive.

Food: A Love Story (Jim Gaffigan)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library one night when I needed something light to listen to.

Okay, the early part of the book was funny, but it really lost steam for me as it went on. I ended up quitting on it in Part 5 of 6. 

I marked it as "did not finish" on Goodreads, so I didn't even give it a rating.

Mostly clean. There were a few somewhat inappropriate comments here and there.

Piecing Me Together (Renèe Watson)

Why I have this book: A friend (L) recommended it, and since it was available right away to borrow on the ebook library, I did that.

I liked this book a lot. The writing was super easy to get into. It's a book that tries to shed light on race relations and discrimination from the point of view of a modern day black girl and her circle of friends and family as well as the students and teachers of her school.

It definitely made me think about how much we all misunderstand each other, how even those with the best of intentions and no intentional racism don't understand what it feels like to be black, and how maybe people of color don't realize how white people really don't understand what is meant by "white privilege." There's a lot of work to be done in this world to help us all search inside our hearts and make the changes needed to create peace and compassion.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Clean. I don't recall any swear words or anything offensive, but I'd say it's geared for upper jr. high to adult readers.

A Thousand Voices (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: I bought it on Kindle because it was fairly inexpensive. It is the fifth book in a series I was reading, and I really didn't want to wait weeks to read this one or the fourth book (which I also purchased).

I liked this concluding book in the series a lot. I kind of wish there was a follow-up book or an epilogue, but sometimes a book has more meaning when the reader has to think about how they think things ended up. 

This was a satisfying series, and I think it got better and better as it went along. I gave this book four stars on Goodreads.

Clean.

Drenched in Light (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: I bought it on Kindle because the wait was too long at the ebook library. It's the fourth of five in the Tending Roses series.

I liked this book a lot. I feel like the author does a great job of helping the reader understand the thoughts and internal conflicts of her characters. It's also interesting to see the characters shift to a background role as a new protagonist takes center stage in each book of the series.

It was easy to spend hours at a time reading this one. (I had a day to myself and chose to relax and feed my soul instead of catching up on tasks.)

Clean. I don't even recall any swearing.

Seesaw Girl (Linda Sue Park)

Why I have this book: I actually bought the print edition back when we were waiting for our daughter to come home from Korea. (We adopted the cutie.) I was reading quite a few books by the author at the time (she's a Korean-American), and this one is set in Korea, so bonus!

It's written for children... probably 3rd or 4th grade level. My daughter is in 6th grade currently and is doing at-home learning due to Covid-19. I assigned this to her to read as part of her assignments. I bought a Kindle copy and read it at the same time.

Okay, I liked it better than she did, mostly because I like reading about other cultures and thought of this book as a learning opportunity. My daughter thought it was kind of boring, and the message she mostly got from it is that boys have all the privilege. (Definitely true in 17th Century Korea when this story takes place!)

I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads mostly because I saw my daughter's point about it being a little slow and not overly exciting for her to read. As far as learning about culture, I'd give it 4 stars, but I stuck with 3 on Goodreads.

Here's what I wrote on our adoption blog when I was listing books I had read about Korea during the wait to bring our daughter home:

Seesaw Girl (Linda Sue Park) - Just realized I haven't read this one! I know my 13 year old daughter did, though, and she liked it. I'll read it today. :) Update: Read it. Cute story about a young girl in 17th century Korea. The reading level is grade 4'ish, ages 9 - 12. I'd say that's about right. I like Linda Sue Park... I think I'll look and see what else she's written.

This book is clean.

If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard (Sheri Dew)

Why I have this book: I have it on my Kindle but had never read it, so I decided to listen to it on DBS+. Churchy books are sometimes easier to listen to rather than read. That way, I can do other things at the same time. 

Okay, so I generally love Sheri Dew, and had I read/listened to this book several years ago, I probably would have given it four or five stars on Goodreads. She read the book on the audio version, and she always does a great job. She's a natural speaker, and I appreciate her honesty and "realness."

The problem is that so much of what she talked about (or the angle she came from) was from when Gordon B. Hinckley was the prophet. Don't get me wrong. I love President Hinckley. However, times have changed, and the Church's message on some subjects has changed. Homosexuality and the role of women and how we address those subjects has changed. So while I don't think anything she said was necessarily doctrinally wrong, the delivery was just hard to hear when the tone has changed in the years since. It's more compassionate and more accepting now, and some of the messages given in the past have been reported as sore subjects in this day and age (i.e. women and girls need to be careful not to be walking porn to some men/boys by the way we dress). Again, I don't entirely disagree with the point being made, but knowing how so many women have rejected the role of being caretakers of mens' wandering eyes and minds, I feel like the book was outdated and a little harsh to read/hear.

Anyway, I'm a little sorry to give it only three stars on Goodreads, but that's where I landed.

Clean. She talks about sexual morality quite a bit and what that looks like within and outside of marriage.

Two books about OCD

The first:

Kissing Doorknobs (Terry Spencer Hesser)

Why I have this book: It was referred to in another book I read (Is Fred in the Refrigerator?) and it was pretty inexpensive on Kindle, so I bought it.

This one was okay. I think I would have like it more if it was more "autobiographical" than "Oh, I've had some of these experiences, but it's not autobiographical." What does that even mean? I guess I went into it thinking it was a memoir, but it's more fiction based on personal experiences. 

In any case, I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

The second:

Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Jeff Bell)

Why I have this book: This was another book referred to in Is Fred in the Refrigerator?, so I put it on my wish list and bought it when I had an inkling to spend a little money on Amazon. :)

This one earned five stars on Goodreads from me. It IS a memoir and it's brutally honest and so well-written. It's really easy to feel like you're just listening to the author sharing his story with you (and I wasn't listening to an audiobook). I liked this one very much, and I'm glad I read it.

Wolf Hollow (Lauren Wolk)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library on the recommendation of my reading friend, L.

Okay, so when I first started it, I just couldn't get into it. I was reading the ebook version. I put it aside for a few days, then decided to check to see if the audio version was available so I could listen while I cross stitched or cleaned the house. It was available, so I started listening to it and got totally hooked. I still had the ebook version, so when it was time for bed, I switched back and stayed up until 3:00 am to finish it.

Just like the author's other book I reviewed, I would have given this slightly less than a 5 star rating had that been on option on Goodreads, but since it's not, I gave it all 5 stars. I really, really like this author. I just put her next book on hold.

I honestly don't understand why both the ebook and audio version were available to borrow at the ebook library. The book is so good that I would have thought it would have a waiting list. I guess people just don't know about it.

Clean, although there are a few unsettling things going on in the story. I don't recall any swearing, but if there was, it was mild and rare.

The Language of Sycamores (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

This is the third book in a series. I've enjoyed all of them so far, so I need to get the other two (?) book on hold soon.

This may have been my favorite in the series. I did notice one possible inconsistency from the second book to this one, so I actually put the previous one on hold so I can double check. I can't help myself. Haha...

Anyway, this one gave me all the feels.

Clean, although one character made a comment that confused me... was it a slang word that means a "loose woman," or was it something else? I'm not sure. A married couple has sex, but it's not graphically described.

A destroyed box of books... a lost box of books... and a box of books donated...

We finally got around to unpacking all our books after moving a year ago. (We had to finish parts of the house and have a son move out in order to feel motivated enough to get things all the way done.)

Anyway... being the super organized person I am (!), I had listed every single box we moved, along with a brief description of what the box contained. And after unpacking all my boxes of books, every single box on my list was marked off, except one. Box 66, containing "books" is not accounted for.

I mean, I'm 99% sure it made it to our new house. We only moved like 5-6 houses/lots down the street. No professional movers were involved. Really, nobody was involved outside of our family. And I'm pretty sure all the boxes were moved in our own vehicles.

Either I unpacked it and forgot to mark it off before passing it on to a friend who was moving (although I feel like I was super careful in that regard), or it really did get lost. The only way I'd ever really know is if I started looking for books that I couldn't find, and even then, would I really know?

And then... even worse... 

I was pulling boxes out of a closet downstairs, and the one on the bottom of the pile was stuck. Like I couldn't move it without a lot of effort BECAUSE... it was stuck to the wall. BECAUSE it had been wet and then dried. The whole bottom and up the sides had been wet at one point (there were liquid marks, plus the box was stuck to the wall as it dried). WHAT??? Why? We could see no evidence of a water leakage on the wall or the carpet. The carpet didn't even look discolored or anything. I know it wasn't wet when we put it in there, because I'm sure we would have noticed. None of the boxes above it were wet.

I freaked out some because I tend to be really suspicious of people, especially people who pee in empty water bottles and throw them on our property while doing sheetrock work for us. I still wonder if one of them peed in the room on the other side of the wall from this closet and it leaked under the wall. (The other room wasn't finished at the time... they were putting sheetrock in there, and it wasn't a job they were thrilled about.) I mean, I probably wouldn't have thought that at all if not for the pee in the bottle outside. 

Anyway, I can hardly stand to think about it. In any case, the box was labeled "Books - probably donate," so it wasn't a hard to decision to just decide they were definitely going to be donated... to the trash.

Most were churchy type books, some weren't, but I honestly didn't feel like digging through it too thoroughly. I was too grossed out with the scenarios going through my mind. 

Now if I can just someday forget about this disturbing situation, that would be awesome. As it is, I'm glad it's not a closet I plan to spend any time in.

And then there was yet another box of books that were labeled "Probably will donate," so I donated those to DI. I didn't take any pictures or even make any notes about what they were. A lot of them were books from our previous homeschooling days, so not a lot of sentimental attachment.

I still hope to find a resolution on Box 66... like maybe my daughter will find it among the boxes I sent her way. 

(ETA: No luck with either of our daughters, so I'll never know what happened with this box.)

(ETA again: Discovered our first missing book: Holes. I know we had it, it's been on our shelves for years, and my youngest son wants to read it for a school assignment. I had no doubt it was on our shelves, but it's not. So is there a missing box of books? I guess I'll see what other books show up as missing as time goes on. Sigh. In the meantime, I bought him the Kindle version.)

Without the Mask (Charlie Bird)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from DBS+ as an audio book.

I really liked this book written by a former (very popular) mascot of BYU sports - Cosmo the Cougar. I mean, Cosmo didn't write it, but the man who wore the Cosmo costume did. Charlie was a mostly closeted gay man during his years at BYU, but now he's openly gay, and still an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He chooses to live a chaste life and to keep the covenants he's made with God.

If I could give it a 4.5 on Goodreads, I would. Since I can't, I gave it five stars. I thought the author's thoughts were excellent, and it actually helped me with some of my spiritual struggles lately. (I'm not gay, but spiritual struggles can be similar even when brought about by different circumstances.)

I admire Charlie for being able to (at least at this point in his life) stick to his convictions of morality when he knows he'll never be able to have the life that feels comfortable for him as far as relationships go. I also understand why some choose another path as lgbtq members of the Church. It can't be easy either way.

Clean. 

I, Eliza Hamilton (Susan Holloway Scott)

Why I have this book: I bought it on sale for Kindle after someone recommended I read it before watching the musical Hamilton on Disney Plus.

Oh, my gosh. So boring.

I seriously pushed myself to about 35% (?) and I've chosen to stop. I'm a third of the way through and it's still a chore to pick it up each night. (I have no interest in picking it up in the daytime, either.)

So done and such a relief to get it off my reading pile. (Reading pile = books on my Kindle.)

Clean'ish so far. There's a mention or two of Hamilton being a womanizer and he and Eliza doing a bit of groping before marriage and loving the marriage bed after, but none of it is descriptive.

Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt (Patrick Q. Mason)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from DBS+.

I gave this five stars on Goodreads. I think the author does a great job at validating those who are questioning their beliefs and their faith. In my opinion, this book is so helpful for those who are doubting and also for the people who love them.

Does it answer every question? Not even close, and the author doesn't pretend that he can explain away the things that cause people to question or doubt. 

I recommend it for anyone who is a member of the Church. If you're doubting, this might help you feel supported and understood. If you have family members or friends who are doubting or leaving, this might help you understand their reasons.

Clean.

After the Fall: A Climber's True Story of Facing Death and Finding Life (Craig DeMartino)

Why I have this book: I bought it years ago, and I'm pretty sure it was mostly for my husband. It probably was also one of the free/cheap Kindle books on Book Bub or something. (Yep, just checked... it was free.)

I actually liked this book quite a bit for a good chunk of it. Reading about the fall and the medical/health issues he faced, along with the plan for his recovery was all very interesting. The book became less interesting to me as he talked more about his "ministry." I'm not sure why. I think I never really felt the depth of it, although that doesn't mean it's not there. It just didn't come across in the writing for me.

It's amazing to think that there are lots of people out there with life-altering injuries that affect their lives every day. I appreciated learning about that. It helps me have more empathy for others and what they may be going through.

I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

Clean. 

Live Up to Our Privileges: Women, Power, and Priesthood (Wendy Ulrich)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from DBS+ as part of my study of priesthood power as per President Nelson's counsel in the October 2019 General Conference. I listened to the audio version.

Okay, so first I want to say that I really liked the author's voice and reading of her book. She did a great job.

I didn't find the book super engrossing, although the idea (comparing various priesthood offices and symbolic and real events of the Savior's life to women and their roles and gifts) was interesting, I didn't really "feel" it that deeply.

I did think she had some great thoughts, though, that I appreciated enough to jot down. (These are in my own words and the way I interpreted her ideas for myself.):

• Think about what we can do within the areas of our lives that can't be changed instead of thinking about how those things limit us.
• Taking care of ourselves and our relationships opens the door to hearing God.
• We can't be "born again" literally... we can't start over in life (as much as we might wish we could), but rebirth is possible and it's enough when we:
• Stop looking back at our difficult experiences and choices not as they exactly were, but through the lens of Christ's power to redeem.
• Creating a new story about what those things all meant and can mean with a perspective of growth and learning.
• Choose to allow our experiences to be for our good.
• When we think of our mistakes in life, focus on how much we've grown in life, not on how we've failed.
• Having compassion for ourselves brings empowerment.

All in all, I did enjoy this book and plan to listen to another of her books soon. I gave this one three stars on Goodreads.

Clean.

The Star Garden (Nancy E. Turner)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library so I could finish out the trilogy. I did read this years ago, but I must have borrowed the book because I know I never owned it.

Okay, so the writing and the story are so engrossing, but I really don't get how the author manages to have such inconsistencies from book to book. In fact, I recently found out that she has written a fourth book for this series, and from what is written on the back, it takes place at least a year after one of the characters in the book has died. She's alive in the new book, but she died in an earlier year in a previous book.

Anyway, I wish she had me read all her books so I could help her to see what needed fixing because it just seems odd that nobody else noticed before they were published. And here is a brand new book that is totally messed up with when someone died and now they're alive again (not really) a year or two later. I don't get it.

Otherwise, I do so love her epic stories, but I couldn't give this another four or five stars on Goodreads with these crazy mistakes. I gave it three stars... but I do still love the writing of Nancy E. Turner.

This book has all the drama and fighting and tragedy as the previous two books. There's also some surprising premarital sex (not described... in fact, I was asking myself, "Wait... did they...?")

What's It Like to Be Married to Me? And Other Dangerous Questions (Linda Dillow)

Why I have this book: I got it for free on Kindle. It was probably when I was on those Book Bub lists back in the day.

While I think the author did make some good points in this book, I also think it could have been about one hundred pages shorter. I ended up skimming quite often.

She used a story in the book that I'm pretty sure has been debunked as an urban legend (but said it was true), and gave another example of a wife forgiving her husband for sexually molesting their daughter. (Forgiving = working things out and staying married.) Listen, maybe that was the best decision for this particular wife/family, but I could never be with a man who molested his own daughter.

In any case, I am just going to delete this book from my Kindle account. It is a Christian based book, but I didn't agree with a lot of it, and I wasn't inspired by a good portion of it. I gave it two stars on Goodreads, though, because it did have a bit of good counsel for wives.

Clean, although there is a long chapter on sexual intimacy in marriage. I still think it's clean, but in case that offends anyone, I figured I'd mention it.

Sarah's Quilt (Nancy E. Turner)

Why I have this book: I have the book in print, but I borrowed the ebook version to re-read the story. I'll probably be passing the books from this series on (only because I'm trying to clean out books) so others can love them, too.

I really loved this book. I wanted to give it five stars on Goodreads because it has all the feels for me. I think I loved it more this read than the first time I read it. I'm older now and have more life experience which helps me understand and relate to the protagonist so much more.

I do have an issue with how the dates of the "diary" are compared to what she writes. Like it's dated a particular date and starts with "this morning," but then partly through the same date's entry, it says "the next day..." That didn't really make sense to me, and I remember it bothered me the first time I read it. It also doesn't read like a diary as much as the first one. I don't know. I kinda had to just look at the dates like chapter titles and forget the idea that it was supposedly diary entries.

I think one character could have not even been part of the story and it might have been a good thing. In some ways, I thought he detracted from the story.

The digital version did a a handful of typos, as well. I gave it four stars on Goodreads just because of those few issues, but if I was just basing it on all the emotion of it, it would have been five stars from me.

This book is much like the first with all kinds of drama and violence common to the era, including a hanging and a couple of sexual assault attempts.

These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 (Nancy E. Turner)

Why I have this book: I actually read the print version years and years ago, and I loved it. I'm cleaning out print books, so I bought it on Kindle at some point, and now I'm re-reading it.

I still love this book. I'm not sure I believe any mom would shoot at a rattlesnake inches from her child's face, but maybe I'm wrong. I do wonder if there are any women who were really like this back in the day.

In any case, I love all the emotions of this story, and I love the way Sarah thinks and feels. I could relate to a lot of it, although I am nowhere as tough as she is.

I'm looking forward to re-reading the two sequels of this story. I gave this one 5 stars on Goodreads.

I don't remember if there are any swear words. If there are, they are of the cowboy variety, I think. There is quite a bit of war-like violence (Settlers and Army vs "Indians" and bad guys). There is a rape (not graphically described) and other violence common to this era. None of it is detailed, but it's not glossed over, either. There's also some talk about marital sex, but it's not at all described and it's as vague as it would be for decent folk of that time.

Like a Fire is Burning: The Work and the Glory Volume 2 (Gerald N. Lund)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from DBS+.

As I mentioned earlier, I gave the whole Work and the Glory set to my daughter, and then decided to listen to the audio versions.

I just finished this second book in the series, and I have to say I only gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. I'm sure I would have liked it better in print than audio just because I don't like the way the narrator reads it. (Also, the narrator must not be LDS, because he mispronounced "Lamanites" over and over.)

I also realized that the depiction of the fictional Steed family is probably one of the sources of my apparently impossible expectation of what I wanted my in-law family to be like: everyone banding together in a shared faith, welcoming in all those who married in, etc. I wanted that for my own family of children as they grew up. Now I'm thinking it's not really realistic (or I've just failed), so yeah. I have to say I got really annoyed with the Steed family now that I've experienced more of life. Or maybe I'm more annoyed with the author for how nearly perfect he made the Steed family...

I also was bothered by how he made Joseph Smith seem nearly perfect, as well. We know from the Saints book the Church published that he wasn't as perfect as this book makes him seem. Interesting that the Church painted a more controversial picture than this fiction book did.

I don't know if I'll listen to the rest. I don't think I will, but I did really love these back in the day when they were first published!

Clean other than violence against the Saints by those who wanted them gone.

Good Hope Road (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: It's the second in the Tending Roses series, both books recommended to me by my friend, L.

I really liked this one. I liked it better than the first. The funny thing is my friend liked the first one better than this one, but I guess books speak to us all differently!

Great story that takes place in just a couple of weeks... maybe even less than that. So much happens emotionally in that time, though, and I loved it. There was one part that hinted at an adoption, but it was never discussed again, and I don't know if it will be explored in a future book in this series or if it was just some random piece of information. It definitely made me want to check to see if there are more books in the series and where this story will go.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Clean. I don't remember if there was any swearing, but if there was, it was mild and infrequent.

The Rosie Result (Graeme Simsion)

Why I have this book: My daughter recommended I read it to finish out the series.

I asked my daughter if this one would bring it all home because I really didn't love the second book in the series. She said it would, so I went ahead and read it.

I agree with her... this one brings it home, and I really enjoyed it. I gave it four stars on Goodreads. There's a lot of humanity in this one, with all the complex relationships and emotions that exist with all of us crazy people in this world.

There's still too much use of the F-word (but not as much as the previous book), and a bit of talk about sex (but not as often as the previous book and in a more scientific realm). Domestic abuse is alluded to, and there seems to be a focus on homosexuality that I can't quite figure out. It just didn't feel like a natural inclusion, like maybe the author was trying to make a point?

Tending Roses (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, so I borrowed it from the ebook library.

Okay, so the book had a real slow feel to it, but not necessarily in a negative way. It was super emotionally stirring for me, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a sad way. I don't know. I guess reading it in this time of covid made it a little harder for me. Just the whole "circle of life" stuff feels a little intense right now.

I love the message, though. I would probably give it a 3.7 on Goodreads if I could, but since I have to use whole numbers, I gave it a three. The writing and depth wasn't quite to the level of other books that I've rated at a four, so I went with three.

Clean. I don't think there were even any swear words. There was a "frisky" exchange between husband and wife, but only the most easily offended would be bothered by it.

Pillar of Light: The Work and the Glory Volume 1 (Gerald N. Lund)

Why I have this book: I bought the whole series back in the day when they came out. I might have started reading and buying after the first few books were out, but I ended up with the whole set.

I actually gave the set to my daughter when we moved last year, but I decided to listen to the audio versions on DBS+ just so I could record them in my "book reading" records. Having had a lot more life experience since I first read them, I also wanted to see what I thought of them now. (And it makes me feel more productive when I'm doing dishes or cross stitching or folding laundry.)

I have to say upfront that listening to someone else read a book creates a different way of absorbing the words than reading them myself. I often think about how my interpretation of the tone of voice would be different than the narrator's. It's also always weird to hear a female narrator impersonate a male voice and vice versa. It never really works well. :) This particular male narrator makes the female voices sound so prissy or dumb or something. I'm sure he did his best, though. haha...

Even with those "challenges," I still really liked this book. I appreciate the work and research that went into the writing of the series. I like the character development, as well. I do feel like Joseph Smith is painted in a much more favorable light than he was in Saints (which was published by the Church), and the books are technically fiction, so I do have to keep that in mind. Back in the day, I remember thinking that they were an entertaining way to learn more about Church history, but it probably puts a somewhat optimistic and positive spin on some of it.

Clean.

The Rosie Effect (Graeme Simsion)

Why I have this book: I wasn't going to read the rest of the "Rosie" series (although I really enjoyed the first book), but my daughter read them and talked me into it.

This is the second book in the series, and I only gave it 2 stars on Goodreads. The main character (Don Tillman) wasn't as endearing in this one. His wife (Rosie) wasn't as likable. The scenarios seemed less believable.

All in all, I didn't love it.

There are waaaaaaaay too many F-words (those Australians! haha...), too much talk about sex (no descriptive encounters, though), and... I think that's it.

The Bookshop on the Corner (Jenny Colgan)

Why I have this book: I looked it up after seeing that a friend read it, and since it looked like something I'd enjoy, I borrowed it from the ebook library.

Well, I did enjoy the book almost all the way through, and then it turned into a (not really descriptive) sex-fest, so that took away some of it's appeal. It just didn't seem realistic to the main character's life to that point, and it was also pretty unrealistic in general as far as how most women react/feel/behave.

Prior to that, I thought it was a cute and quirky and fun book set in Scotland. I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

There is some swearing, including one or two or three F-bombs. Then there's the romping theme towards the end. Again, it's not descriptive, but it's a bit over the top.

ETA:

I read this again in June 2023 (three years later) because another friend recommended it. She listened to the audio version and said it was a great listen and wondered if my view on the "sex-fest" description has changed along with my changing religious beliefs. I decided to "read" it via audio like she did so I could enjoy the accents of a story set in the UK. 

I definitely wasn't as bothered by the sex in the book as I guess I was three years ago. As I mentioned in my first review, it's not descriptive at all. I still think the personality of the protagonist doesn't fit in with the way it all happens, though, and I also can't understand her attraction to this guy who never talks and is grumpy a lot and really only seems to show his "love" by having sex whenever or wherever he wants. It's just odd, but again... it's not at all described, so that was a positive. *fist bump*

I stand by my three stars. I'd probably go with 3.5 if I could, but it's not quite a four for me. I do plan to listen to the other books in the series.

Always (Sarah Jio)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after a friend recommended it.

I was on track to give this four stars until the end. It just ended a bit too quickly for me. Things tied up a little too neatly.

Up until then, though, the book totally kept my interest and had a great storyline with the topics of homelessness and traumatic brain injury. I think she could have taken both of those topics a little deeper.

Pretty clean. There may have been a few swear words, but I don't remember there being any of the "heavier" ones. People were sleeping together, but it wasn't descriptive. You just knew it was happening.

The Secret Daughter (Kelly Rimmer)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited (just before I canceled my membership of two months... I just have too many other books to read!)

Kelly Rimmer is quickly becoming a favorite author for me. Granted, this is only the second book of hers I've read, but I have three more in my queue.

I kept thinking this book had to have taken place way earlier than it did. I had no idea there were "forced adoptions" as late as the early 1970's. (This is set in Australia, but I'm guessing not limited to that country.) One thing that threw me off was that an ultrasound was performed in the early 1970's. I didn't think they were in routine use at that time, especially for young women in a maternity home (and thus not wealthy or well-cared for). I question that, but again, maybe things were different in Australia. I couldn't find anything online (of course I did a little research!) that says that was commonplace at that time, so...?

In any case, the emotions and storyline were well-developed, and I looked forward to picking up the book each night and reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer!

Clean. There may have been a few swear words, but nothing that stood out enough for me to remember it!

Is Fred in the Refrigerator? (Shala Nicely)

The title continues with: Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life

Why I have this book: I bought it in my ongoing quest to learn more about OCD and how to treat it.

This is a fascinating glimpse into one woman's fight with OCD. What's amazing is how this disorder can affect people so differently.

I think she is a great example of taking the advice of qualified experts and actually putting it into action. There's a ton of good advice and information for those who suffer from OCD and their family members or friends. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

There may have been a few swear words, but I honestly can't remember. 

The Monster in Me (Mette Ivie Harrison)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, so I really like some other fiction (cozy mystery) books by this author... meaning, I like the stories and the way she writes. I DON'T like her obvious gibes at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She's a feminist Mormon, with so many complaints about Church policies and how the men run things. Honestly, so much of her stuff is eye-rollingly inaccurate, but whatever. I can blow it off and read the stories, but I won't even record that I've read them and I definitely don't recommend them to others because of the very negative picture she paints. I completely disagree with her viewpoint.

Anyway, I thought I'd read a different book by the same author. It has nothing to do with religion, so I figured it would be a safe bet.

I could only give this two stars because there were soooooooo many editing mistakes, typos, etc. It also ended a little too abruptly for me which is all too bad because it had such potential. I don't care enough to look up whether or not it was one of her earlier books, but in any case, I don't know why it got published with so many glaring mistakes.

Clean. I don't even remember any swearing.

You are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For (Kyle Carpenter)

Why I have this book: My oldest son recommended it, so I bought it... then my middle son read it and really liked it, so I read it, too.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads. I probably would have given it 3.7 or so, but that's not an option. The only reason I say that is because the last couple of chapters seemed to be longer than they needed to be. Otherwise, I did like this book a lot. Kyle's story is incredible, and it reminds readers how much our military personnel and their families sacrifice on our behalf.

Kyle's honesty, humility, and strength is a great example for me. If he can endure and thrive with what he's been through, so can the rest of us with our own challenges.

Clean. There is one section (where he quotes others) that has a few swear words, but otherwise there's no bad language. Impressive! Seems like most books involving people in the military have a ton of heavy swear words, but not this one. Thank you, Kyle! 

Open Book (Jessica Simpson)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

In all honestly, I didn't know much about Jessica Simpson. I knew she was an actress to some degree, and thought maybe she was a singer... but honestly, I've only ever seen articles about her and have never seen or heard any of her work enough to tell you about it. I just like memoirs, so I thought I'd give this a try.

Her story was interesting, but honestly, she comes across as very shallow and narcissistic. I even watched a few episodes of The Newlyweds (the reality show she did with her first husband) to give her a fair shot, and that made me even less of a fan.

I'm really not going to say more about it because I would mostly be saying negative things about her and her lifestyle.

I can't remember if there was any swearing. She makes a big deal of being a virgin on her wedding night, but once she's divorced from her first husband, she sleeps with the other guys she dates. She's also an alcoholic, and talks about being molested by a girl one year older than her as a child.

The Island of Sea Women (Lisa See)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

Okay, so my aunt (who passed away last year) had recommended this book to me not too long before she passed. She warned me that it wasn't always easy to read due to some atrocities committed against the people in the story. To do more research about this, I read the one-star reviews on Amazon, and the readers acted like this book had so much disturbing stuff in it that they couldn't get it out of their minds. I decided not to read it.

A friend just recently recommended it to me, as well. I asked her about the disturbing stuff, and she reassured me that it wasn't as bad as some other books we had both read, so I decided to take a chance on it.

Oh, my goodness. I LOVED this book. Yes, there are some hard things to read about, but it's not expressed in gratuitous tones. There is so much humanity in this book. So much about friendship, motherhood, womanhood, the longings of our hearts...

I could go on and on about how much I felt while reading this book. It's set in Korean culture and history, which has special meaning to me because my daughter was born there. It was also super interesting to read about the sea women of Korea. I had no idea.

I gave it five stars on Goodreads. I wish I would have read it while my aunt was still alive so I could have talked to her about it.

There are hard things in this book, but most are confined to a section in the middle. It's not as descriptive as it could have been, but it's still hard to think about. The book is open about marital relations (but not descriptive), female bodies, birth, death, etc. I don't recall any swearing.

Flight of the Sparrow (Amy Belding Brown)

Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, and it was available to borrow from the ebook library, so I did!

I liked this book quite a bit. I didn't realize until later that it was based on a true story, but the author admits that it was very loosely based on a true story... so I'd call it more fiction than fact.

Still, it give an idea of what life was like in the 1600's in early America when hostilities between Native Americans and new immigrants were an intense part of life for both groups. Violence and hardship were afflicted from either side in the most brutal ways.

I think there was some swearing in the book (if I remember correctly), and there was pretty descriptive violence throughout the story, although it wasn't constant or continual.

Leap of Faith: Confronting the Origins of the Book of Mormon (Bob Bennett)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from DBS+ on the recommendation of my son.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads because...

1) The audio version was very well done.

2) The subject matter was explored very thoroughly.

3) The author admitted when there are things that just can't be explained.

4) I was impressed that Bob Bennett did this much research and put it all together in an impressive book in addition to his career as a politician and his post-political careers.

Clean.

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me (Julie Wright)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because I've enjoyed other books by the author.

I enjoyed this one, too. Definitely not the depth of the other books I've been reading lately, but for a light read, it was a good one. Not too cheesy and not too light. It was an interesting look into the publishing/publicist world (assuming it's an accurate representation).

I gave it four stars on Goodreads because for it's genre, it's a well-written and enjoyable book.

Clean.

The Twelfth Child (Bette Lee Crosby)

Why I have this book: I bought it for 99 cents five years ago on Kindle.

Well, I liked it enough. It was a cute story, but maybe got a little too cute at the end. Some of the characters were a bit unbelievable (like the opposing attorney who belched so much that everybody had to fan the air under their noses every few paragraphs).

The beginning of it (and the story of Abigail's life) seemed heavier, then the story of Destiny seems light and airy. Interesting contrast.

There was an open question that is apparently answered in the next book, but I didn't love this one enough to read it right now. Maybe I will at some point just to answer that question.

There was some occasional swearing in this book, and it always surprised me because it just seems like it shouldn't have swearing. There's also extramarital sex, but not really graphically described. 

When We Were Sisters (Emilie Richards)

Why I have this book: I bought it when it was on a good deal for Kindle because I've enjoyed other books by the author.

I really would have liked to give this like a 3.7 on Goodreads, but since it has to be whole numbers, I gave it a three. It wasn't quite a four, but it was close. I know I could round up, but I just didn't.

Maybe if I had read this faster (instead of every night when I'd fall asleep before too long), it would have been a solid four. But then... if it was super compelling, maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep? I don't know. I did enjoy the story, and the ending threw a real twist that made it go up to the 3.7 instead of 3 rating... so I don't know.

In any case, I did like it. Interestingly, I felt like the story became a completely different story by the end... even though it didn't.

Clean'ish. There was a little bit of swearing, but not consistently. There is talk about rape, and there is one scene where you know a married couple is having sex, but it's not described.

She's Not Herself (Linda Appleman Shapiro)

Why I have this book: I bought it years ago for 99 cents when I was on a discount book service for Kindle.

I have mixed feelings about the book. On the one hand, I appreciate the memoir of a daughter of a severely mentally ill mother. I appreciate her need to make sense of her childhood and how her mom's mental health issues affected her. It was fascinating to see how mental illness was handled in those years (early to mid-1900's) and to compare it with what we know now.

It was also wonderful to see how devoted this family was to their mother even with the conflicting emotions they felt about how her struggles impacted their own lives.

On the other hand, I feel bad for the mom that her mental illness is now published in a book for anyone to read. Even though I feel such compassion for her, I'm not sure everyone would focus on the human experience of the fight against mental illness, and perhaps they would be inclined to judge her. That makes me sad.

Still, I feel like it's a worthwhile read for anyone who struggles with mental health or who cares about someone who does. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

I don't recall if there was any swearing. The book does deal with mental health, and there is some talk about suicide.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir (Jennifer Ryan)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It reminded me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society  novel and the show "Home Fires" that ended after two seasons and made all its fans upset. :/

The story is set in a small village during 1940 as WWII is beginning to ramp up. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of a handful of the villagers, and we see how the experiences of their own lives and of war shape them during that time.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

There is some swearing and a few sexual situations that aren't graphically described.

Double Identity (Margaret Peterson Haddix)

Why I have this book: My daughter was assigned to read it in reading group for 5th grade, and after she was telling me about it, I decided I wanted to read it, too. I've read other books by Haddix and enjoyed them, so I bought the inexpensive Kindle edition.

This was pretty much a page-turner for me, and I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

My only observation is that the protagonist was 12, but she sounded more like she was 15 or older. There were also a few typo errors within this Kindle edition, and that always bugs me from the standpoint of "why does nobody catch this before it goes to publishing???"

I gave this four stars on Goodreads.

Clean. It does deal with death and cloning.

The Things We Cannot Say (Kelly Rimmer)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after a friend recommended it.

I loved this book. I stayed up until 1:00 am to finish it. I love historical fiction that teaches me more about history and that also has depth! This fit the bill.

Wow. So hard to read (although not graphic) about the horrible things done by Nazi Germany. Their reach was so long for so many years. I know these things go on now in other countries, and we just don't hear about it in our little bubble unless we make the effort to find out.

There were a couple of editing problems. For some reason, every time someone used the word "hell," it was capitalized. Like, "What the Hell were you thinking?"

That makes no sense. Someone should have caught that in editing.

The author is Australian, and she used the word "tin" to describe a can of soup. That would be fine if it was set in a country that calls them "tins of soup," but in America (where the story is set), we don't say that. It made me stop and check back to see if I missed that this story was set in the UK or Australia, and it disrupted the flow every time it happened.

Still, the book was compelling and I loved it. Given the choice, I'd probably go with a 4.7 rating just because of those editing issues and because she threw the F-bomb in once, but I loved it too much to drop it to a four, so a 5 star rating it is.

Some description of wartime violence, a handful of swear words (including one F-bomb), and the implication (not described) that a couple had premarital sex.

Fly Away (Lynn N. Austin)

Why I have this book: I have had the paperback edition for years, but I hadn't read it. In cleaning out some books, I decided it was time to get through a couple of my unread ones and luckily was able to borrow the ebook edition to read.

I liked this book a lot. It was cute (mostly because of Mike's personality), and easy to imagine the emotions the characters were feeling. The religious part didn't quite come together for me because of the way it was written, but I support the point and effort. I understand this to be one of the author's first books, and I think her books have developed more depth over time.

There was a lot to chew on in this storyline, and I think that was what Lynn was hoping to accomplish. Very good. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

I'll be donating the paperback to my local library. I'm actually donating quite a few books right now... pretty much anything to which I don't feel a particular attachment (or if I have it on my Kindle, as well.)

Clean.

Muddy, Book 1: Where Faith and Polygamy Collide (Dean Hughes)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads, namely because the author didn't shy away from showing the frustration and doubt these members of the LDS Church felt toward the counsel (sometimes more like commandments than counsel) given to them from local and general leaders of the Church.

Even so, maybe there was a little too much of things working out well (especially when it came to polygamy), but overall, I felt like the honest representation of misguided decisions made by Church leaders was refreshing.

Clean, although there was a lot of mention of the physical relationships between husband and wives. 

The Christmas Creed (Ted C. Hindmarsh)

Why I have this book: It was an actual print book from my bookcase. But... I found I could borrow it for free from the Kindle Unlimited Library (which I joined for a trial period), so I read it on my Kindle to see if it's a keeper or if it can go. I think I probably picked it up off a bargain table at a local bookshop or something, and I had never read it until now.

I gave it two stars on Goodreads, and I'll be donating it to our neighborhood Free Little Library. I mean, it was a cute story. It would probably be better in a made-for-TV holiday special when the characters could be developed a bit more. Parts seemed too simplistic and unrealistic... and I think I know what happened at the end, but that was an idea that wasn't developed really well, either.

I don't hate that I read it, but I wouldn't read it again.

Clean.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Kim Michele Richardson)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

I gave this book a whopping five stars on Goodreads. I even stayed up until 2:00 am last night reading it since I figured today would be a snow day and I'd be able to sleep in. I was right on the snow day, but I didn't anticipate the school district calling at 6:30 am to let everyone know school was cancelled. That kind of defeated the purpose of letting people sleep in! (Not that their purpose was letting everyone sleep in... but a text or email would have sufficed!)

Anyway, this is a great book with more depth than a lot of the books I've been reading lately, and I appreciate that. I learned about the "Blue People" of Kentucky which was something new for me. So interesting.

This is the second book I've read about the Pack Horse Library Project, and I admire that program so much. It testifies (as does this book) to the power of reading.

Mostly clean, with a handful of the more "mild" swear words. There is some description of death among the poor of the Kentucky hills and of a suicide. There is also some mild description of sexual assault and marital abuse.

High Achiever (Tiffany Jenkins)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle version after seeing a handful of the author's videos on her "Juggling the Jenkins" FB page.

Warning: This book contains an abundance of profanity and several sexual situations that came about as a result of drug addiction.

However, I gave this book four stars because I think it tells a valuable and needed account of the world of a drug addict. I probably would have given it five stars if the profanity would have been toned down some.

The writing has an easy flow, and while I think she could have gotten in a few more pages that tell about her life now, the entire story was intriguing and the book was hard to put down. I admire her for changing her life and creating the successful business and happy family she seems to have, as well as for her efforts to be a positive influence though her YouTube channel and blog.

This would be such a valuable book for teenagers/young adults to read because I think it would really discourage them from trying drugs if they were considering it. On the other hand, I don't know that I can recommend this book to any teenager to read because of some of the content. I honestly wouldn't recommend it to most of my friends (in my conservative life), and that's too bad. I can't get it out of my brain.

Somewhat difficult read because of the profanity and descriptions of things that happened in jail and in her desperation to get drugs before her arrest. While the sexual descriptions weren't over the top, they were descriptive enough. 

The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion)

Why I have this book: I bought the Kindle version years ago but hadn't read it. Then my daughter won a copy at a library giveaway and recommended it to me after she read it. (She warned me that there were a lot of F-words in it.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though yes, it does have a lot of F-words. (I like to blame that on the fact that it's an Australian author... but maybe Australians think all Americans use that word a lot, too.) It also has some talk about sex, but no graphic encounters at all.

But the main character. Don. How I love him! I totally pictured him as Mr. Monk (from the tv show of the same name), and I just love him like I love Mr. Monk.

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads, and while I'm not leaning towards reading the rest of the series right now, I might in the future. I hope they are as enjoyable as this one is. My "to-read" list is quite long right now, so I'm not going to jump right into them.

See above for content review.

PS. I lied. I put the next two books on hold at the library. :)
PSS. I decided not to read the next two books once they came up to borrow. Too many other books to read, so I returned them without reading. I also kind of didn't want to spoil how much I liked this first book if the sequels weren't as good. (I saw mixed reviews on Amazon.)

Slave Stealers (Timothy Ballard)

Why I have this book: I bought it for my husband for Christmas after my son recommended it to me.

Okay, this book is the first solid 5 star rating I've given on Goodreads in a very long time! It's such an important book for everyone to read. Honestly, I think it should be required reading for high schoolers and up.

People in this world can be amazingly evil.

Other people in this world are amazingly heroic and full of love.

I am inspired by those heroes.

Clean, although the subject matter is slavery and the way slaves are trafficked and treated. Nothing is graphically described.

Comfort and Joy (Kristin Hannah)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.

It could have almost gone to a four star rating on Goodreads (from me), but the ending really fell flat for me. Instead of using the term "magic" to describe what happened, maybe the author should have just left it as a puzzle. I don't know.

The book kept my interest, though, so I didn't hate it.

I'm pretty sure it was clean (writing this a week later than I read it), but it's possible there was a mild swear word or two. I don't remember any, though.

Sister's Choice (Emilie Richards)

Why I have this book: It's the last of the Shenandoah Album series I've been reading.

Well, again, I'd give this a 3.5 or 3.7 if I could, but in fairness to the author, I rounded up this time and gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

I enjoyed it more than a little, but it did seem to take a long time to read... and no wonder; I just checked and it's 556 pages long. I don't feel like it dragged through those pages, but I guess I just didn't expect it to be that long. (Reading on a Kindle, so I don't really pay attention to how many pages there are!)

Pretty clean. There's definitely sexual tension between characters, but no sex scenes. I don't recall any swearing, so if there was any, it was rare and mild.

Touching Stars (Emilie Richards)

Why I have this book: It's part of the Shenandoah Album series of books I'm reading.

I'd give this 3.7 stars if I had that option on Goodreads, and while I often try to round up if I'm in between numbers, I just couldn't do a full 4 stars on this one.

The last couple of pages were probably my favorite part. The rest was good, but this author needs a better editor. I noticed that in the first three books (grammatical errors), but this one takes the cake with two of the "back in time" sections being dated 1895 instead of 1865. How does something like that slip by the editor??? It totally confused me the first time it happened because I was quite certain Lincoln was not assassinated thirty years after the war ended. Really, it's just sloppy work.

Other than that, though, I did enjoy the book and the author's writing. I'm looking forward to the last book in the series.

Somewhat clean... I don't recall any swearing (if there was, in wasn't frequent and wasn't one of the "worst" swear words), and while there were a couple of sexual encounters, they weren't described or graphic.

The First Three Books in the Shenandoah Album series by Emilie Richards

Wedding Ring
Endless Chain
Lover's Knot

Why I have these books: I bought them because I had read the first two in the series before and remember liking them... kind of.

Let me elaborate. I liked the quilting theme that runs through the books. I like the storylines. I did NOT like C-word being used in the second book. I also didn't like that the minister in the second book slept with a woman who is not his wife... sorry, but it just seems off considering that he's a minister. Plus I didn't need to keep hearing his sensual thoughts/feelings. I mean, it wasn't over the top, and I know ministers have the same feelings as any other person, but it just felt weird to me. I'm sure it's just me. Haha...

In the series so far (there are two books to left for me to read), I liked Lover's Knot the best. Four stars for that one... three each for the other two.

On this second reading, I read the first two in the series at the end of December, 2019, so I guess posting this today kind of messes up my count of books (which is only somewhat accurate on here, anyway, due to more than one book in a post on occasion.) Goodreads is the more accurate count of what I've read each year... and it looks like 2019 was one of my lowest counts since I started tracking in 2010. We'll see how this year goes. I certainly have a lot of books to read on my Kindle alone. Let's just say I haven't topped three hundred unread books yet. Or at least I hadn't the last time I checked...

These are not trashy books, but they do have mild sex scenes (nothing super descriptive, and maybe one or two per book) and obviously there was that one C-word. I don't recall any F-words, but there may have been a handful of other milder swear words here and there.